


Trusting Strangers

by Outlaws_world



Category: Red Dead Redemption (Video Games)
Genre: Adventure & Romance, Bandits & Outlaws, Cute, Eventual Smut, F/M, Falling In Love, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Friends to Lovers, High Honor Arthur Morgan, Jealous Arthur Morgan, Protective Arthur Morgan, Reader-Insert, Red Dead Redemption 2 Spoilers, Slow Burn, Strong Female Characters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-23
Updated: 2021-03-02
Packaged: 2021-03-10 17:55:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 68,831
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28261263
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Outlaws_world/pseuds/Outlaws_world
Summary: You were found by the gang after being on your own and fighting for survival for so long. Would you be accepted into the gang and will a certain man be what you need to trust these strangers
Relationships: Arthur Morgan/Reader, John Marston/Reader
Comments: 14
Kudos: 93





	1. 1

You woke up to the morning birds singing in the trees and the sun rising over the mountains. The smell of smoke from the burnt out fire was overpowering. The cold air surrounded you as you crept out of your blanket and quietly approached the fire in the middle of camp doing your best to restart it. 

The rest of the camp were still sleeping as you sat on a log in front of the new embers to try and warm up. You had only been in the camp a couple of days as a prisoner more than a gang member. One of the men... a big strong man with a full beard and rocks for brains brought you in after he found you in the woods alone. Bill you recall him being called. The group assumed you must have been a spy of some kind and you were too weak to correct them. 

Before last night, they had tied you to a wagon to make sure you couldn't run away. They fed you and swapped your clothes from the dirt ridden ripped ones they found you in. You were scared...helpless. Although no one was particularly cruel to you, no one was too kind either. They didn't trust you. Mostly because you stayed very quiet as to not draw too much attention to yourself but also because they had no idea where you had come from. 

''She must be a pinkerton!'' A man said. He had black hair and dressed very smartly. 

''Well..She won't tell us nothin'. She must av' been half dead when I found her wondering in the wood'' Bill had replied in a rough tone. 

''Give her something to eat and she will soon be able to talk'' an older man interjected. ''Can't you see she is near starving, I doubt she is a spy. Just look at her'' 

''Just to be sure, tie her to the wagon over there. Don't want her taking off and giving away our whereabouts. Give her some food and then we will find out where the hell she's come from'' The man with black hair bellowed. You could see the whole camp staring in your direction as Bill lazily threw you over his shoulder and headed towards the wagon to tie you up. 

You studied each and every gang member to try and work out the hierarchy and who were the kinder of the bunch. 

Mary-Beth and Tilly would often come and sit near you and ask you questions but you could never fathom the words to reply. Each time they tried one of the men or a woman called 'Mrs Grimshaw' would shew them away. The men never spoke to you....they would walk by and ignore your existence. However, one man who you haven't caught the name of yet would look over to you every so often with soft eyes. A look someone would give an injured puppy. But these looks only lasted seconds before his stern face would come and jump him back to reality. 

You would sometimes watch him around the camp as he did his chores and talked to the others. He seemed to be respected in the camp and many of these people relied on him. You guessed that's why he would sometimes disappear for hours on end. He was tall and broad, you could tell he worked hard as he had huge muscled features and bags under his eyes showing he hadn't had a good night sleep in weeks. The rim of his hat always seemed to cover his eyes but the few moments you caught them they were a bright blue and green. You hoped that whenever he would look at you that he would come over and let you free but he never did. In fact he never went near your wagon, almost like he was avoiding you completely. He was quite a handsom man, although very tired and rough. Whenever he spoke to another member of the group it was either comforting them or antagonising them. You couldn't work him out. 

The cold night started to draw in and you could hear voices around the campfire. You tried to listen in to the talking but everyone was just out of earshot. After being tied to the wagon for two days the strength was starting to come back to your body. You were able to hold yourself up and sit properly rather than slumped over. The pain in your legs and back stung whenever you moved after being in such an uncomfortable position for so long. 

''I think she must be ready to talk, don't you?'' You were able to recognise the black haired man's voice as Dutch from conversations around the camp. You heard rustling and next thing you know four men are approaching you. Their figures could only just be seen against the ever darkening sky until they came into view. 

''Now'' Dutch closed in on you ''Why don't you tell me where you have come from? We have fed you and shown you kind hospitality, the least you could do in return is talk'' He looked at you intensely waiting for an answer. You were just about to speak when you were interrupted. 

''You some sort of spy? O'Driscoll maybe? Can you even speak or you a mute?'' Bill spat at you. 

''I ain't no mute'' You spat back, although your voice was slightly hoarse. 

''Ohh she speaks'' He laughed back at you. He raised his hand to you. ''Well maybe you should learn some manners'' His hand started to come down, you closed your eyes and braced for the impact but before it can make a connection to your cheek it was intercepted. The man you had been watching with the soft eyes had grabbed his wrist and shoved it away from you. 

''The hell do you think you are doin'?'' His voice was angry and baritone. 

''I was gonna teach her not to speak back to the man who saved her life'' Bill confronted the man. However, the man didn't back down, his frame became bigger and his brows furrowed. He clenched his fists and Bill backed off throwing his hands in the air in surrender. 

''You ain't no man if you think you can hit a lady like that'' he threw back before turning to Dutch. ''Please continue'' He gestured in a sarcastic tone. 

You couldn't help but feel thankful for this man. However you couldn't help think if Bill, the mountain of a man who is as mean as they come, backed down then was this man worse? Meaner and tougher? You wouldn't like to find out. 

''Why thank you Arthur'' 

Arthur. That was his name. Finally you could put a name to the face. His face softens as both Dutch and him turn to you. 

''Miss?'' Dutch asked you to carry on. 

''I ain't a spy'' You choke up the words ''I don't even know what a O'Driscoll is! I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time'' you let out a big sigh and hung your head low as if admitting defeat. 

''Why were you out here?'' The fourth man smiles lightly and crouches into your view. His eyes were soft as if to try and assure you that you were safe. You remembered him being called Charles. A big, strong man that you had always seen being kind to not only the people but the animals too. 

''I was dragged from my home and left out here'' It wasn't far from the truth but you were not ready to tell them everything just yet. If they didn't trust you then why would you trust them. After all you have been tied to a wagon for two days. They all stood around you whilst looking at each other. Contemplating what to do with you. 

''Dutch'' Arthur looks questioningly at the man. ''May I have a word?'' Both the men walk to a quiet spot to talk in private. You watch them as they leave trying to read into what they were saying about you. 

''What is your name?'' Charles speaks softly. Bill scoffs at Charles speaking to you like it was a crime against nature. 

'' (Y/N) '' You whisper softly. Not daring to look him in the eyes. 

''Nice to meet you (Y/N), I'm Charles. I'm sorry you have had to go through this. We are not the most trusting bunch but I assure you it is for good reason'' 

You smile weakly allowing yourself to look at him. 

''Okay! Charles let her go'' Dutch makes his way back to you, Charles and Bill with Arthur following behind. 

''We do not do this often but we want to help you Miss'' 

''(Y/N)'' Charles informs Dutch before he carries on. 

''(Y/N), you can stay here for as long as you need as long as you can earn your keep'' He looks you in the eye and you find you can't escape his stare. ''Mrs Grimshaw will give you some chores to do around camp in the morning unless you would rather decline the kind offer'' 

You shake your head at the four men staring at you. You lowered your head once again to look at your wrists. 

''Great!'' Duch continues ''Bill let her go. Charles find her somewhere more comfortable to sleep. I guess I will see you in the morning (Y/N)''. 

Dutch turns on his heels and takes Arthur with him. As they leave Arthur looks over his shoulder to you and nods his head. You can't tell if your freedom was his idea or if this was a test to see if you would run and betray them. Either way you decided not to test the theory. Bill cut the ropes around your wrists and you rub where they had cut into your skin. Charles held his hand out to help you off the wagon and took you across the camp. He gets a bedroll from inside a tent and places it neatly on the floor. 

''I know it's not a lot but I will find you something more permanent tomorrow'' He crouches beside you as you steady yourself down onto it. ''Get some rest. Tomorrow is a new day and you will find your place in the group before you know it'' He smiled once more at you before getting up to leave. 

You laid on the bedroll, you were so tired and you knew you needed a proper rest. Things suddenly came rushing to your mind. What chores will I have to do? What if I don't fit in? Can you trust anyone? And is Arthur as bad as you think? Sleep came over you quickly as the bright stars filled the night sky. 

"Miss (Y/N)" the voice brought you back to reality as you were sat in front of the fire on the cold morning. "Dutch tells me you are staying with us so I have a couple of things you can do" the older woman steps in front of you as she speaks. Mrs Grimshaw is very assertive to all the gang members but especially the women. As you were watching the last couple of days you saw that she was always making sure everyone was busy and if they weren't she would be on their case faster then a fly on horse shit. 

You look up at the woman slowly. "Of course Mrs Grimshaw, what do you need me to do?" You grimise as you try to sound helpful while dreading what she had in store for you. 

The next couple of days past quickly and you managed to gain most of your strength back. The chores weren't so bad and it helped you to get to know everyone in camp. You helped the girls with cleaning and washing of clothes. Javier, a Hispanic man with an amazing acent thaught you how to make bait for him to go fishing with. He was very sweet but you could sense that he was a flirt with all the girls so you managed to not look into his comments too much. 

Charles managed to make you your own tent to sleep in and you helped him to look after the horses in return. This was one of your favourite things to do because you have always loved these majestic creatures. Plus no one bothered you when you were with the horses. 

Hosea offered to take you into the little town of valentine with Karen to shop for your own clothes. He was a kind man who always seemed to make sure that you were okay and settling well. If it wasn't for him the gang might not have fed and helped you as you recognised him from your first encounter there. You accepted, it was the first time you had left the camp in over two weeks now. Riding out in the back pof the waggon you took in your surroundings. The way the trees broke into heartlands and the dirt tracts filled with civilization the closer you got into town. The bright blue sky with the sun baring down to touch your skin. Breathing a sigh of relief, feeling relaxed for the first time. Valentine was a small busy town that smelt of livestock. Karen turned her nose up at this as they pulled the wagon up to alsc athea hitching post. 

"Here we are ladies" Hosea announced as he hitched up and helped you both down from the wagon. "I will collect some things from the post office and meet you back here" he tipped his hat to you both with a smile before leaving. 

Karen was so excited to go shopping, she explained that she has only gotten out of camp for the first time yesterday. 

"Two days out of that dump in a row" she smiled "must be my lucky week" she looped her arm through yours and you both made your way to the general store.   
Before you reached the store there was the sound of smashed glass as aough man was thrown from the saloon window and onto the muddy street. Th biggest man you have ever seen followed behind him dragging him to his feet and punching him in the jaw. 

"Is that Arthur?" Karen ran over to join the crowd and watch the commotion. You followed behind her watching the two men throwing punches at each other. It was Arthur. The man he was fighting was twice the size of him but Arthur wasn't backing down. Javier was sat on the stairs Infront of the saloon watching among the crowd shouting at Arthur to give it everything. At first the big man had Arthur beat pinning him to the ground but somehow he got loose and beat the man to the floor. Arthur was now ontop of the man, throwing punch after lunch into his skull. His face was full of rage and no amount of punching was going to shake it. A smaller man pleaded and managed to break them up, saving the man's life from Arthur. Covered in mud Arthur rose off him and wiped the blood from under his nose before walking away. 

"That's our boy" Karen exclaimed. "Come on (Y/N), let's get you come clothes" she headed back for the store. 

"Are we not gonna see if he's okay?" You questioned as you gestured to Arthur. 

"God no! That man gets himself into situations like these all the time, he'll be fine! Plus he ain't one for pitty" she shrugged you off. You couldn't help but be impressed, the man Arthur was fighting was clearly biger and stronger then all the men you had ever seen. But somehow he still managed to overpower him. You glanced over to see Arthur with a few of the other men from camp before walking into the store. 

Browsing the catalogue it didn't take you long to find what you wanted. Two laced shirts (white and blue), dark blue pants, some undergarments and boots to finish. 

"Are you sure you don't want a skirt?" Karen pleaded. "You would look so elegant in this one" she pointed out a blue long skirt. 

"No thanks" you giggled at her slightly seeing her face frown. 

"Alright then. Suit yourself" Karen giggled back. "At least I know you ain't trying to impress anyone" she paused to think for a second. "Have you seen anyone in camp you like the look of?" She finally asked with a raised eyebrow. 

You were shocked at what she had just asked. The camp had only been your home for a couple of weeks and you still haven't spoken to everyone properly. Your eyes widen in your response. 

"What? No, I'm still getting to know everyone and besides I ain't looking for any man" 

Karen searched your face to see if you were telling the truth. "No one?" She sounded shocked "Charles? You both seem to get on well" 

"No, Charles is a nice man but we are just friends" you said defensively. 

"What about Javier?" She insisted. 

You shot her an unforgiving look and shook your head. 

"John? Bill? Lenny? Micha? Please say it's not Micha" she giggled. 

"No, definitely not, no and I would rather be shot" you giggled back "can't you just believe I ain't sweet on anyone". You paid for your clothes and thanked the store clerk kindly before making your way back to the wagon. 

"What about Arthur?" Her words made you pause for a moment. Arthur. You hadn't seen him much around camp since the night you were released from being tied to the wagon. He would come to rest for a couple of hours always bringing either money or what he had hunted that day and leave again. You never spoke to him though, you felt very intimidated by his presence especially after seeing him fighting in the street. He carried himself with such authority like he was there to protect and provide and nothing more. When he was around he mostly kept himself to himself and sometimes would get involved with some conversation but because he was rarely there you didn't know if he was someone you could trust or someone to keep at arms length like Bill and Micha. Yet something was very intreging about him, but you didn't want to explore your curiousity as you may find that he was worse then the rest of them. 

"No" you shook your head in response. 

"Alright then. Well, I want to be the first to know if you change your mind" Karen winked at you. 

Hosea was waiting for you both with new supplies in the back of the wagon. He helped you both into the back and before you knew it you were on your way back to camp. The journey back was quick as Karen told Hosea about your day out together. She seemed extatic that she was the one out of all the girls that was able to go into town again and for a full day too. You almost felt sorry for her that she was not able to come and go from camp as she pleases. However, you could relate to how happy she was to be out of camp. It was only a short trip out but it was the best day you have had in a very long time. 

When you arrived back in camp you were greeted by an Irish man you had never seen before. 

"Sean!" Karen screamed and jumped into the man's arms. He caught her and spun her around before placing her on the floor. 

"Hello there, did you miss me?" He laughed at her. Before placing a kiss on her cheek. You could see the way she blushed when he did this, indicating to you that she was sweet on him. "And who is this stranger?" He turned to you. 

"(Y/N), nice to meet you" you jumped off the cart and went to shake his hand. He pulled the back of your hand to his lips and kissed it sweetly. 

"I'm Sean and the pleasure is all mine" he cheekily smiled at you. 

It was already dark when you arrived in camp. You had been out from the early hours of the morning and didn't get back to camp until late. Everyone seemed in such high spirits as you all sat around the campfire listening to Sean tell the story of how he was imprisoned. Drinks were flowing and laughs were shared. You were sat between Abigail and Charles as everyone was sharing stories and laughing. 

"And there is my saviour" Sean stood up to announce, gesturing to the other side of camp. Arthur rode in and hitched his horse up, gave the stallion a good pat before heading towards the group. 

"I would have happily left you there like I told you" Arthur scoffed to Sean as he sat next to the fire opposite you. You couldn't help but wonder if he was joking or not but Sean giggled and slapped Arthur on the shoulder. 

"Nah you love me really Englishman" he laughed and handed Arthur a bottle of whiskey. He took the bottle and raised it to him before taking a mouthful and passing it back. This was the first time you had properly seen Arthur interact with anyone so you observed him descretly. Abigail was talking to you about Hosea teaching her how to read. You couldn't help but not focus on what she was telling you but on what Arthur was doing. He was speaking to Uncle about how lazy the man is when suddenly he looked up and your eyes met. You panic looking away but it just made it more obvious that you were clearly stareing at him. From then on you avoided looking in his direction but still listened to the convocations around the campfire. Arthur stayed quiet most of the night only getting involved with convocations that were aimed at him which he would soon brush off. You tried your best to get involved with everyone and enjoy yourself. Finding yourself sat with most of the girls talking about past loves that you happily listened too. 

The party went on into the early hours with everyone singing and dancing. Dancing had never been one of your strong points so when people had started to get up and dance you got up to go 'check the horses'. 

This was your chance to slip away to your tent and get some sleep. You hadn't drunk a lot because you knew Mrs Grimshaw would be on your case to clean after the party in the morning. The last thing you wanted was to have a huge hangover whilst doing chores. Your eyes became very heavy and even the singing from the dying party couldn't keep you awake. 

It became the normal for you to wake before the rest of the camp. You stretched your arms above your head, tied your hair into a braid and put on your new clothes before heading out of your tent towards the campfire. The morning was dry and a crisp chill ran through the air as you strode across the camp. Everyone was still asleep in there beds as you assumed they would be and all you could think of was your morning coffee. Before you reached the fire you saw a figure sat on a log facing you with coffee in hand and the steam rising to their face. You squinted your eyes to see if you could recognise who the figure was as you edged closer. Suddenly your heart stopped as you saw the man's clothes. It was Arthur. He hadn't seen you yet as his eyes were covered by the rim of his hat as he sat quietly. Your mind suddenly told you to turn around and go back to your tent before he catches sight of you. As you were just about to turn Arthur lifted his head to catch full sight of you. Damn it, you couldn't walk away now. Slowly you made your way over to the campfire and sat on the log opposite Arthur, much like the night before. 

"Mornin'" Arthur lent forward and offered you a cup of coffee. He had a big black eye from the fight the night before and a split lip. 

"Mornin'. Thank you" you took the coffee from him and settled onto the log. Your heart was beating hard. In the whole time you had been in the camp you had not spoken to Arthur Morgan. You tried to think of something to say to break the silence but your mind had gone blank. 

"You settlin' well?" He looked up to catch your eye. 

"Yes, thank you" you replied before taking a sip of your coffee and averting your gaze. A small smirk appeared on his lips. "What you laughing at?" You said defensively. 

"Nothin'" he smirked again "Do you ride? Horses I mean" 

"Yes but why?" You were confused by his question. 

"Jonny boy was supposed to come out huntin' with me this morning but he ain't waking anytime soon after last night" Arthur laughed under his breath. "So I need someone to ride out with me" he looked you in the eye. "My horse can't carry two deer and you seem to be the only one awake. So you comin'?" Arthur stood up from the log and finished his cup of coffee before turning to you. 

"I guess. Not sure Mrs Grimshaw will be too impressed me runnin' off" Arthur's gaze sharpened on you as if he knew you were just making excuses. 

"I'm sure she will be just fine, if anything I'll get in trouble for stealing you away". 

And with that he strode off towards the horses. You quickly finished your coffee and followed behind him until you were at his side. Now stood next to him you realised how tall and broad this man was. You felt very small compared to him knowing that you wouldn't stand a chance trying to escape him. The overwhelming thought of going out alone with the only man in camp that you couldn't read was filling your head. You were always a really good judge of character and you were able to know all the gang members before even talking to them. However, Arthur you were just clueless. At this point you just accepted that you may never know but now you are here going out of camp for the day with him. 

"Take John's horse for now. Not like he'll be missin' her today" Arthur walked over to the mare and unhitched her before turning to help you mount. However, before he knew it you had placed your foot in the stirrup and mounted by yourself. A slightly impressed smirk blushed across his face before mounting his own stallion. 

You followed close behind Arthur at a steady trot out of camp. The feeling of riding overwhelmed you with happiness. It had been so long since you rode last and it was one of your favourite things to do. A huge smile was plastered across your face as you patted the mare. You came out of the trees onto a dirt track and the urge to gallop came over you. Arthur could see the look in your eye and before you knew it you were both in flat out gallop. Johns mare was fast but was not as fast as Arthur's stallion. He was slightly Infront of you looking back to make sure you weren't dropping too far behind with a smug look on his face. You were not one for races although, the thought of you beating him to the small lake you were headed too sounded more than amusing. Without a word you spurred the mare to go faster, leaning forward and taking the weight into your feet as to not sit on her back. Arthur did the same but he was too late. You had already galloped past him and we're still gaining distance between you. Once you had reached the point of destination you slowed the mare down to a canter, then trot before walking. Soon Arthur caught up to you and your face was beeming because you had won. 

"Good girl" you reached down to pat the mare. 

"Damn girl" you looked up expecting to see an enraged Arthur but his face was bright red and smiling. "You can ride. That mare has never traveled so fast" he took a deep breath as the race had clearly tired him out. 

"Told you I could" you laughed "she can be fast huh?" 

"Not with Marston riding she ain't" he leaned down and patted his horse "even Siego couldn't keep up" he looked up at you still smiling. This was the first time you saw Arthur properly smile. Maybe he wasn't as bad as you originally thought but only time will tell. 

You both rode side by side until you came to a small wooded area. 

"Hitch up. We will go on foot from here" Arthur dismounted and you followed suit. He reached for a bow and arrows off his saddle and you realised you had nothing with you. No shotgun or bow. How were you supposed to hunt anything? 

"Arthur, I ain't got anything to hunt with" you blushed embarrassed that you had come this far with no thought of what you would hunt with. 

Arthur turned to you confused. "I only needed you here so I have an extra horse to carry the hunt back. Don't need you to actually do the huntin'" he shook his head as he started to walk into the woods the smile suddenly gone from his face. "Follow close to me and keep quiet". 

You couldn't help but be frustrated with his comment. Did he not think you were capable of hunting because you are a woman? You didn't question him as you were still unsure of him and didn't want to annoy him. But your face was frowned and you both avoided any eye contact as Arthur carefully started tracking a herd. 

It didn't take long before you came to a herd of dear. You crouched behind some trees and Arthur shot two down in no time. He had managed to kill the big buck and a doe which would feed the camp for the next couple of days. Although you were strong you were not able to lift the doe all the way back to the horses so Arthur sent you back to get them. 

As you were on your way back to Arthur with the horses you suddenly heard gunshots coming from his direction. There was no time to think before you grabbed Arthur's rifle from his saddle and ran through the trees towards him. You suddenly felt your heartbeat climb and you temperature rise as you questioned what you are running into. Did any of those gunshots hit Arthur or is he hunting something else? Could he be dead. You got past the trees and you managed to catch a glimpse of Arthur. 

He was crouched behind a tree with his shotgun at the ready. There was on coming fire from ahead and you could see five men shooting at Arthur. You had the advantage because they thought he was the only target so they weren't aiming for you. Eyeing up each of the men who were shooting at Arthur, you aimed 3 shots each meeting there target in a fateful blow. Arthur managed to gun a fourth man down as you turned your aim onto the fifth. You were both now shooting at the one target who was well covered behind a tree. Without communication, Arthur carried on shooting drawing the mans attention and you snuck round to his left side. You now had a clear shot and took it. The man dropped to the floor with a thud. Before making your way back to Arthur you looted the men for all they had. As you were doing this you noticed three other men that Arthur had shot before you had gotten to him. You made over $300 and two packs of cigarettes. By the time you reached Arthur he was busy tieing the doe to the back of his horse before lifting the buck like it didn't weigh a thing. 

"Who the hell was that?" You approached Arthur. He didn't respond at first and you assumed this was because he didn't know and was too busy stowing the buck. You split the money and passed half to Arthur along with his rifle. He remained quiet as he finished hitching everything onto the horses before swinging round to face you. 

"Who the hell are you?" He glared at you. "You ride like you have been in a chase, you are a bloody good shot too. Damn girl, where have you come from?" He had a serious tone and didn't break eye contact with you as he closed the distance between you until he was right Infront of you looking down into your eyes. You began to feel your heart beat increase as this strong man towered over you, like you were a helpless bug waiting to be squished. He didn't break eye contact with you once and his hand was hovering over his pistle holstered in his gun belt. 

As much as you wanted to keep the truth to yourself for just a little longer, at least until you could trust the gang, you couldn't avoid Arthur. Especially after what has just happened. You were defenceless against him, you had no gun and he was double your size. Running wasn't an option considering how fast he was with a gun and you wouldn't stand a chance trying to disarm him. 

"It's a long story" you look up into his eyes. His face was stern and he was not willing to back down. 

"We got time".


	2. 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reader tells Arthur the truth about her past. How will he take it?

''We got time'' The words rang in your ears like alarm bells. You knew you had no choice but to tell Arthur the truth. 

You had played out in your head this situation many times. How you were going to tell the gang the truth. Hosea was going to be the one you told. He had always been kind to you and he would definitely listen to the full story. The last person you expected to confess to was Arthur but here you were. 

You breathed out a sigh and looked down at your feet. Arthur was still standing over you hand ready at his gun belt. 

''Well go on, spit it out'' He grunted impatiently. You looked up at him straight in the eye almost pleading with him to not make you speak but it was no use. Arthur was not one to back down from what he wanted. 

''My daddy owned a ranch just outside of a city called Saint Denis. He bred and sold fine horses. They were worth a ton of money so this attracted all sorts of people. Mostly rich people but also thieves as you would expect. There was only me, my daddy and my mamma. My mama was a small housewife that didn't have any fondness for horses. I guess they hoped I would be a boy so they had someone else to help. My dad didn't care that I was a girl because as soon as I could walk, I could ride. He taught me everything I know about horses and he knew a lot.'' You paused to look at Arthur.

His expression was unmoved. ''So you're a rich girl?'' He laughed under his breath rolling his eyes. 

''Hold on a minute, I told you it was a long story and I ain't done'' you fired back irritated by Arthur's reaction. ''He also taught me how to shoot. Having so many good horses we had to learn to defend our ranch from thieves that came along. I got good at it too. I would spend hours helping my daddy on the ranch and then go practise shooting everyday.'' You looked back down at your feet. 

''One night a big storm hit and I went out to make sure the horses were alright. I heard gunshots coming from the house but by the time I got there these men had killed my daddy and beaten my mama bloody. My daddy had managed to gun down a load of them before they stormed the house. I didn't have a gun on me and they soon grabbed me too. They kept me and my mama hostage for a few months. Feeding us next to nothin' and beating us when they wanted somethin' to do. My mama didn't last long, not with all the beatings before....well at least she is in a better place.'' You closed your eyes for a moment trying to hold back tears as you remembered the past events. Composing yourself you carried on. 

''After she passed the men thought beating me wasn't as fun anymore. They needed something more...I tried to fight them off at first but I didn't have the energy. They would pin me down, rip my clothes off me and have their fun. There was nothin' I could do. I was defensless and weak. This went on for a month or two but it felt like a liftime'' Your voice wavered but not with sorrow but with anger and embarrassment. 

''One night, one of the men came and had his way with me but after forgot to tie me back up and passed out drunk. I managed to sneak through the house to my Daddy's gun closet. Got my hands on his best rifle and took out every single one of the men in the house. There were more of them outside and I knew they had heard the gunshots so I took off. Grabbed our best stallion and rode as fast as I could outta there.'' 

''Some came after me but I managed to gun them down but there was a witness and I was suddenly an outlaw. My face was plastered on every poster in town. No one would listen to me and if they did no one would believe me. I ran changing from place to place for a couple months. Pick pocketing and hunting to stay alive but I was barely breathing. I hadn't eaten properly in months. A couple of weeks back the men from my daddy's ranch caught up to me and gunned my horse down. They had me surrounded, I tried to give them a good fight but there was too many of em'. Last thing I remember was getting hit over the head with something hard and waking up to Bill finding me. They must have thought they had killed me because I know that they wouldn't have left me there if they knew I was alive. They would have taken me back to the ranch and kept me for their own entertainment. So there. Now you know everything. I've got absolutely nothing and there is a bounty on my head''. You sighed not daring to look at Arthur but needing to know what he was thinking. 

The silence was deafening and you could feel your heartbeat getting faster. ''Why didn't you just tell us?'' Arthur finally spoke. His tone was now soft compared to the harshness before. 

''Tell a bunch of strangers there is a bounty on my head? How would I have known you wouldn't just turn me in?'' You scoffed at his question before silence again. Why was he not saying anything? You wanted to know what he was thinking but he wasn't giving anything away. Instead he just turned to his horse and mounted before giving you a look to do the same. You mounted up and kept a slow walk next to Arthur. Your chest felt tight as you hung your head low. The feeling of embarrassment and ashame overcame you as you realised there was no going back. Arthur, the man you barely knew and didnt trust, knew everything. 

The ride back was quiet and slow. Neither of you had spoken a word to each other and it was making your mind go crazy. You knew as soon as you got to camp Arthur would tell Dutch and the next day you'll be turned in for your bounty. There was no use running. Arthur had proven he is not a man to be messed with and you knew you wouldn't get far. You came to the conclusion that this was it. There was no point in fighting anymore. 

''I'm sorry'' Arthurs low voice brought you back to reality. Shocked, you looked at him and he turned to meet your eye. ''No one should av' gone through all that. Those men got what they deserved''. For the first time he was properly looking at you. He had no sarcastic tone in his voice and he looked genuinely sympathetic towards you. Arthur was the first person you had told and you expected him to just spit and laugh in your face but here he was actually showing kindness to you. 

''It's in the past now.'' You broke the eye contact between you both. ''You gonna tell Dutch?'' although you didn't want to ask, you couldn't help yourself. You had finally found people who were nice to you after months of tourchur and you didn't want to loose that. 

''It's your past'' He paused looking away from you ''Not up to me who knows it or not but you may wanna tell 'em at some point'' You nodded gratefully in reply. You couldn't believe what you were hearing. All this time trying to find someone who would listen to your story without calling you a liar or trying to turn you in with no luck. The last person you expected to listen, to truly listen and understand, was Arthur. Maybe you judged him too quickly. 

You both arrived back in camp in the mid afternoon. The camp was quiet as people were out doing their daily jobs. The smell of the stew coming from Pearson's pot was mouthwatering after the morning you had. Mrs Grimshaw was the first to greet you as you arrived at the hitching posts. 

''Where the hell av' you been Miss (Y/N)?'' She looked you up and down and you dismounted Johns horse. ''We all thought you had up and left'' Her hands placed on her hips waiting for an answer. She looked angry but slightly relived that you had come back. 

''It's my fault Mrs Grimshaw'' Arthur intervened ''I took her hunting with me this mornin', I needed more than one horse and she was the only one awake'' Mrs Grimshaw turned her attention to Arthur. 

''Well next time let me know before you go off like that but at least you made yourself useful Miss'' She softened her tone when Arthur spoke up for you. ''Better get some food and get on with the rest of your chores then'' she smiled before she walked off to go and yell at someone else. 

You breathed a sigh of relief ''Does she ever take a day off?'' You smirked as you began to untack the horses. 

''Nah but you'll get used to it'' Arthur smiled at you and nodded before leaving you to take the buck to Pearsons cart. You watched him leave with a slight warmness in your chest and a smile on your face. 'Get used to it' does this mean you will be sticking around? You assumed Arthur might still have intentions to turn you in and collect a decent bounty but these words changed your thoughts. The feeling of telling the truth with no bad consequences made you relax a little. You began to think if you thought Arthur was the worst man here then this gang isn't too bad.. 

The rest of the afternoon went quickly. You managed to get all of your chores done in very little time with the help of Tilly and Mary-Beth. You had become very close to these two girls in the short time you were there, almost enough to trust them. Trusting strangers was hard especially when you had been on the run for some time. You learnt only to rely on yourself but these were kind people and they were all in the same position as you. 

''(Y/N)'' You heard your name being called from the hitching posts. ''Come help me with this would ya'' Charles was stood by one of the horses lifting its front leg. Quickly you ran over to him to see what was wrong. 

''You alright?'' You questioned as you observed what he was doing. The horse was losing a shoe but it had twisted and stood on the nail. Before Charles had a chance to respond you grabbed the shoe and started levering it from the horse's hoof while Charles lifted the leg. You managed to get the shoe completely off and without any extra damage to the horses hoof. 

''We need to make a poultice to stop any infection but she should be fine in a couple of days'' You patted the mare as Charles released her leg. 

''You really know what you are doing, don't cha''' He smiled at you as you got to work with some herbs and material to wrap the mare's foot in. After, you and Charles sat in the shade under the tree observing the rest of the camp while you relaxed. 

You saw Arthur head out again with Hosea riding a big black shire horse. He never got a full day around camp before he was out doing another job again. You couldn't help feel slightly sorry for him as you never saw him truly rest. He must be tired constantly but he never complained as long as it was worth his time. The rest of the camp were beginning to settle for the night and you and Charles peacefully watched the sunsetting. 

''Seems like you have settled in well with the gang'' Charles smiled at you. ''I have only been riding with them for around 6 months and it took me longer to find my place then you have''. 

''I just do what I'm told and ask questions later'' You giggled ''But I am glad to have been found by you lot, don't know where I would be if I hadn't'' 

"Probably would have starved" he smirked at you. "I'm glad they found you. I need someone who knows as much about horses as you do" he smiled gesturing to the mare from earlier. 

"I'm glad too, like you say I would have died if it wasn't for this gang" you smiled back then looked at the mare. "lookin' after horses don't feel like a chore to me so always happy to help" 

Charles looked at you and opened his mouth to say something before he was cut off. 

''Charles, (Y/N)!'' Javier called to you both before gesturing to gather round the fire. 

"Come on, better join in or people will start talkin'" Charles helped you to stand and you both walked to join the group. 

This became a routine on a night that whoever was in camp would gather round the fire to tell stories. This time Javier told his story and everyone listened intently. You looked around the campfire at each of the gang members and couldn't help but smile. This could work. You could stay here with them and learn to trust each other. The thought made you relax and smile which didn't go unnoticed. 

''It's nice to finally see you smile'' a rough voice quietly spoke to you before sitting next to you on the log. He was hushed so it wouldn't draw attention to the rest of the camp. ''I don't think I've seen you smile yet, well not a proper smile anyway''. You looked to see John sitting next to you. He had fresh scars on his face and dark features. 

''Don't think I had reason to'' You turned your attention to him. 

''Well it's a nice thing to see. I'm sorry I've never actually had a chance to speak to you. I'm John'' He smiled and held his hand out to you which you shook giggling. 

''Why thank you John. (Y/N), nice to finally meet you'' You let go of his hand and you smiled back at the fire in front of you. ''I guess I'm smiling because I'm happy. Haven't felt happy in a while'' you admitted. 

''Well...I'm glad you are happy. There ain't much we can offer but at least we have each other'' John looked around the camp and then back to you. ''You will be safe with us. By the way, thank you for going huntin' with Arthur today. I definitely wasn't in the best way this mornin'" he laughed gesturing to his head. 

"No problem, it was nice to get outta camp" you smirked. 

"I trust old boy was good with you?" 

"Oh god, I forgot to thank you for letting me borrow her. Yes, she's a good horse" you smiled looking in the horses direction. 

"That she is. Well you must have been good company because I didn't get an earful from Arthur when he got back" John took a sip of whiskey. "Normally I wouldn't hear the end of it" 

You spoke to John for a while as you found he was easy to talk to. He told you how he got his scars and how Arthur and Javier had saved him. The scars were healing well and he was nearly back to full strength so he would be off running jobs again soon. As the night drew to a close John walked you back to your tent and wished you a good night before taking his leave. 

You laid on your bedroll in your tent staring at the ceiling. The smile was still plastered across your face and you finally felt like you were in the right place. Everything seemed to fit perfectly. What a day....you didn't want to let yourself get too used to this feeling as you knew that things could change in a day. But just for tonight you allowed yourself the feeling of happiness. You were safe for now. 

The next day was slow. You had done all of your chores by midday and there was nothing much to do. The only reason you felt like this was because for the last two days you had been out of camp. So being cooped up all day was slightly boring. You decided to go round and see if anyone needed your help. John was just about to go on watch so you asked to tag along which he accepted gratefully. It was a nice sunny day without a cloud in the sky so you were more then happy to sit out with him. 

''You know it's nice to 'av company for once. Can get boring by yourself'' He walked to the spot to keep a look out and you sat at the bottom of the tree beside him. 

''Well I'm glad I could tag along. I like to keep busy'' You admitted. 

''Really?'' He asked surprised ''The rest of the girls are normally happy to 'av the afternoon off but if your ever bored feel free to join me'' 

You sat with John for a couple of hours talking about the gang. ''Nah, he's a lazy old man but he's harmless. Wait till he tells you stories from when he was young. That'll make you laugh'' John laughed whilst talking about Uncle. 

''I'll keep that in mind when I'm next trying to avoid him'' You were both in fits of laughter that tears were almost falling from your eyes. Soon you composed yourself and Bill came to take the next watch. Without hesitation you stood up and followed close behind John back to camp before Bill offered for you to sit with him as well. 

John giggled at this ''You ain't a fan of Bill then?'' 

''I'm just cautious. He's never the kindest''. Plus you didn't want to admit it but you really enjoyed John's company and replacing that with Bill's would have been dissapointing. 

"Yeah I wouldn't say that but he ain't so bad. He's dumb as rocks but he won't hurt ya" John comforted you. He patted you on your shoulder, gave you a friendly smile and went to his tent for some rest. 

When you reached the camp you went to sit with the girls and little Jack. They were braiding each other's hair and Tilly was teaching Jack to make a flower chain. You complained about how bored you had been all day and they all hmmed in agreement. Before long you were all talking about Mrs Grimshaw and how she thinks she is the one in charge around here. Once you had your hair neatly braided by Abigail you decided to head to your tent to have a nap but as you were making your way across camp you heard shouting as Hosea and Arthur arrived back from their trip. 

You carried on towards your tent expecting them both to go to the rest of the camp when you caught a glimpse of Arthur heading straight towards you. 

''Y/N'' Arthur called to you. This was the first time he said your name and somehow it hit differently with you. Something inside you said if your name was worth learning then he had accepted you into the gang. You stopped in your tracks and before you knew it Arthur was standing in front of you. ''I've got something for ya'' He motioned his head to follow him and without question you did. 

He took you over to the hitching post where a beautiful Black, American Saddler, Stallion, stood. You gave Arthur a confused look as you approached the horse giving it a firm pat on the neck. 

''You don't have a horse and....Well Hosea needed to sell one so....and I'm starting to like my new one. I thought'' He paused and looked at your shocked face as you realised what he was trying to say. ''Well he's yours if you want 'im'' 

Was this real? Had Arthur gone out of his way to get you your own horse. You looked at the beautiful stallion and back to Arthur. ''I don't know what to say'' Your mouth was hanging open but your lips were upturned into a smile. 

Arthur smiled at you ''I wanted to say thank you for helping me out yesterday'' He paused as you nodded at him with a grateful smile. His voice was soft and genuine again. ''This was the best one of a bad bunch, I knew I couldn't get you a cheap nag as I remembered you knew too much about 'em. Didn't think I would get away with it" Arthur joked but tried to keep a straight face as to come across serious. 

''Thank you Arthur'' You smiled before fully looking over the horse. Arthur blushed under the brim of his hat at hearing you say his name. You could tell Arthur didn't want you to think he was capable of kindness as he made up the excuse of getting you a shit horse. But the more you looked over the stallion the more you knew that it was a fine one. It wouldn't have been cheap if he had actually bought it. ''I owe you one'' You said trying to look at him from over the horses back. 

''You can help me with a job tomorrow if you are up for it? Gives you chance to test your steed out'' He took the saddle off the horses back ''It's just a little house robbery but I need another pair of hands just in case something goes wrong'' . 

''Sure'' You took the bridle off the horse ''but wouldn't you rather go with one of the men'' You gave him a questioning look. 

''You are just as good as any of 'em by the way you handled yourself yesterday'' Arthur got a brush out of the saddle bag before passing it to you. ''Unless you feel you ain't up for it'' he teased you waiting for a reaction. 

''Oh, I'm more than up for it'' you smirked at him before beginning to brush your horse down. ''I was just making sure''. 

''I'll let you two get acquainted then'' Arthur gave you a cheeky smile before heading over to the rest of the camp leaving you with your new horse. 

You couldn't help but feel excited to go on your first real job for the gang. Does this mean they trust you. So many thoughts rushed through your head but the main one was......what do I name you? 

While you were thinking about names you heard a man screaming from the camp. You looked over to see what all the noise was and you saw Dutch, Bill and Arthur standing around the man they had tied to one of the trees. He had been there the whole time you had been in the camp. Tied to the tree like that for weeks on end. You avoided him most of the time as you had no idea why he was there and you were new to camp. Fratanising with the enemy wouldn't look too good for you. Occasionally you would ask him if he was okay but that was all. 

They had pulled his trousers down and Bill was holding a huge pair of tweezers threatening to geld him. You watched as you saw Arthur's face hardened again as he threatened the man. He was so confusing, one minute you think he is a kind caring man and the next he does something like this. You had to think twice as you had done things you were not proud of too, to servive, and maybe that's all he was doing. Although he seemed to be enjoying this a bit too much. Doubt filled your thoughts and suddenly you couldn't help thinking maybe he was only showing you kindness to keep you on there side, to stop you running off. You might be valuable to them. There was already $2000 on your bounty, imagine if that went up the longer you were an outlaw. 

You pushed these thoughts to the back of your mind as you watched them untie the young man from the tree. Arthur pushed him into a walk and Dutch hollered for John to go with Arthur and Bill. You managed to hear them talking about finding an O'Driscoll hide out. Before you knew it the four men were riding out of camp on another job. 

"No rest for the wicked" you wispered into your horses ear. 

You began to regain your thoughts. "Dallas, I think that suits you" you carried on brushing the stallion until he was gleaming and it began to get dark. 

There wasn't many of you round the campfire tonight. You sat with a bowl of stew and kept warm by the flames. Someone grabbed your shoulder and you looked up to see Hosea stood over you. 

"How you doing little lady?" He asked. He reminded you of your daddy in this moment. 'Little lady' used to be what he would call you but he also had the tender look in his eye, the same look Hosea was giving you now. He was like you dad in many ways the more you thought of it. He was kind and soft but tough and stern when he needed to be. Just the other day you saw him threaten Bill with his pistle because Bill was too drunk and getting on his last nerve. 

"I'm alright Hosea, and you?" You answered back. 

"I'm not bad, thanks for asking" he looked around the campfire for a minute. "Fancy accompanying me on a stroll round the camp?" 

You nodded your head before standing up. Hosea held out his arm for you to link yours through as you set off on your walk. You were both quiet at first, it wasn't at all awkward but peaceful. The noises from the surrounding nature was relaxing, you could hear the water stream nearby and the sound of owls in the trees. 

"Where did you get off too last night, anything exciting?" You decided to break the silence. 

"Arthur and I decided to go hunt a bear I had heard about. The animal was about the size of a house and unfortunately got the better of me" he turned and smiled to you but he seemed troubled. "Arthur mentioned that you had told him about your past" you eyes widened as Hosea spoke. Suddenly your heartbeat raced and you began to look around for some sort of trap he was walking you into. 

"Whoa, calm down there" Hosea petted your arm. "He didn't tell me anything just that you will tell your story when you are good and ready. He said to trust you" 

You felt a sudden rush of relief which made you dizzy. Hosea saw the look on your face of panic and paused for you to say something. "It's not that I didn't want to tell you Hosea" you looked at him and you saw your farther in this moment. You went with your gut feeling which was screaming at you to tell him everything. 

Hosea listened to every word as you spoke, not once turning his glance away. When you started to get upset he took both your hands in his and squeezed them tight. The warmth from his hands gave you strength and made you trust him instantly. After you finished he pulled you in for a long hug. You didn't know how much you needed human affection until the moment. The tears came streaming down your face and soaked his shirt but he didn't seem to mind. He was warm and you felt safe in his arms at this moment. 

Hosea broke the hug before lifting your chin to look him in the eye. "You fit in here more than you know. We need you just as much as you need us and I promise that no one will ever lay a hand on you again" he smiled and you knew he wasn't lying. "Arthur speaks very highly of you, sees great things and now I do too". 

You felt a huge weight lifted off your shoulders. Maybe Hosea was right, maybe you did fit in more then you ever cared to realise. You both made your way back to the campfire and you thanked Hosea for everything before taking a seat. As you looked round the fire it was like you saw everyone for the first time. They were all outlaws running from something. They had all been scared and mistreated but they had each other and you were now part of that. Through all the shit you had been through, you thought no one would understand but everyone here would. Of course they would because they had all been through hell and back together. You just needed to learn to trust them and maybe you were already starting too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So we are still building up to the main story but trust me it gets better! I just thought this was cute! Plus HOSEA being the best person ever!


	3. 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arthur takes reader out on her first job. They also open up to one another much more.

The morning light peered through the flap on your tent. You could hear the rain falling and the wind blowing harshly. Grabbing your coat from your chest you made your way to the horses. You took some hay and put them in small piles on the ground so the horses have a bit more to eat. The weather was bitter and cold so once you were done you headed back towards your tent for shelter. You were already drenched and shivering slightly as you stepped into your tent. The rest of camp was beginning to stir and you could see that Arthur, John and Bill must have gotten back to camp in the middle of the night as Arthur was finally resting in his cot. He placed his hat over his face and his arm was hanging from the cot limply. This must have been the first time you had seen him sleeping. 

You sat at the entrance to your tent with the flap tied back when Pearson came over to pour you a cup of coffee. The heat was radiating from the cup as you held it with both hands close to your chin to try and warm yourself. With the weather as bad as it was Mrs Grimshaw assured you that you didn't have any chores to do today. You were dreading your chores in this weather so you breathed a sigh of relief at this. 

''That only means you'll have twice as much to do tomorrow Miss (Y/N)'' she scoffed at you before making her way round camp. She must have seen the smile on your face and had to remind you that you don't get days off without consequences. You respected Mrs Grimshaw because although she was harsh and bossy, she did a good job at keeping the camp running smoothly. At least she made sure everyone was doing there bit. 

You enjoyed sitting in your tent watching the world go by. There was something relaxing about watching the rain fall and seeing the camp quiet for once. Most of the gang remained in their tents seeking shelter from the wet and cold weather. You watched as Micha and Lenny went out but they seemed to be the only ones to leave camp this morning. 

Tilly and Karen came to your tent and brought some dominos to play. 

''Fancy a game?'' Karen asked as she sat next to you on the floor. 

''I don't see why not'' All three of you played a couple of games. You won two games and Tilly won one. 

''I never liked this game anyway'' Karen spit at you and tilly as she started to pack the dominos away. 

''Someone is a sore loser'' Tilly laughed at Karens remarks. You couldn't help but join in with the teasing and you all sat there giggling. 

''Well....I'm going to do some stitching. Poor Kieran had about 5 rips in his shirt after being tied to that tree for so long'' Karen sighed as she stood up to take her leave. 

''Kieran? The O'Driscoll boy?'' You questioned. A couple of days ago you finally asked John who the O'Driscolls were. You had been accused of being one when you first arrived so you wanted to know who these people were. Turns out it's another gang. Dutch fell out with the leader, Colm O'Driscoll, many years ago because they both killed someone the other cared about. Nasty business. So Dutch and Colm have had a hatred for each other ever since. 

''Yeah, turns out he never really liked the O'Driscolls and our boys managed to take one of their camps out last night with his help'' Tilly answered as she also stood up to leave. ''You comin' (Y/N)?'' 

You shook your head in response with a smile ''I think I'm finally starting to dry off'' you pointed out your wet clothes that clung to your skin still. 

With that Tilly gave you a smile and followed Karen back to their tent. You leaned back against the foot of your cot looking out across camp. Your eyes landing on Arthur who had just woken up. He stretched his arms and grabbed his journal and scribbled something down before sitting on the edge of his bed. You couldn't help but stare at him, he was very easy on the eyes but he also had something about him that always intrigued you. Maybe it was the way that he could flip his mood from tough outlaw to caring man in the blink of an eye. Or maybe it's the mystery behind this man that caught your attention. You noticed Arthur never talks much about anything. Not his past, or what he's feeling. He just seems to nod and get on with it. You have now had a couple of conversations with him and he knew everything about you but you were none the wiser about him. 

''Mornin''' Arthur's voice woke you from your daydream. He was standing at the front of your tent soaked through from just walking from his tent to yours. 

''Mornin', come in'' You gestured for him to sit next to you and get cover from the rain. He took a seat next to you and lit a cigarette before taking a drag. ''Shit ain't it'' you looked out to the rain that seemed to be getting heavier. 

Arthur couldn't help but laugh at the foul language you used. ''You know a lady like yourself shouldn't use that sorta language''. 

''Well maybe you've never met a 'lady' like me before Mr Morgan'' you teased him. He smiled under the brim of his hat. 

''You're right, I don't think I have'' he looked at you with those blue eyes and a grin plastered across his face. His smile was infectious because before you knew it you were smiling right back at him with blushed cheeks. 

"How was last night?" You questioned. 

"What with the O'Driscoll kid?" He muttered. "Well, we took a couple of the men out but Colm wasn't there. Bagged a bit of cash though so it wasn't completely useless" he looked at Kieran as he made his way to the horses. 

''I talked to Hosea last night'' you met his eyes and you saw them soften. ''I told him everything. He took it well, told me I fit in more than I care to realise''. 

''I hope you don't mind that I mentioned to him we spoke, swear I didn't say anymore then that'' Arthur took another drag from his cigarette and the smoke got lost in the rain as he exhaled. You shook your head with a smile in response. ''But he ain't wrong. You definitely fit in with these bunch of idiots''. You quickly punched his arm after his comment which only made him laugh more. You couldn't believe he was already teasing you about things. You barley knew him but you knew just how to give it back as good as you got. 

''Well... you're the biggest idiot of them all Mr Morgan'' you fired back as you both laughed. 

''Have you not met John yet? He got half his brain eaten by wolves and you are calling me the biggest idiot'' Arthur was quick to defend himself. 

''I have met him actually and I happen to think he's a very interesting man. Least he has plenty of stories to tell'' you teased. Arthur shot you a look of slight hurt at this which was your intention. It seemed that the thought of you finding John more interesting then Arthur struck a nerve with him. 

''Oh I have plenty of stories, just haven't had a chance to tell you 'em yet'' he scoffed. 

''Well it's a good job this weather isn't getting any better'' you looked out to the rain again before turning back to Arthur. ''We got time'' you gave him a cheeky wink which he didn't expect. Using the same line he used on you the other day made him chuckle and throw his hands up in surrender. 

''Alright, alright you got me'' he shook his head ''What do ya wanna know''. 

You wanted to know everything about him. He was not one to sit and talk for too long so you didn't want to miss your opterunity. You had spoken to everyone in camp and had an idea of who they are and where they came from but you were clueless when it came to Arthur. 

''Let's start with how you ended up with Dutch and Hosea'' you watched him as he told you how his dad was no good to him and how his mum had died when he was young. He kept it brief as you imagined he would. Arthur didn't seem like the type to go into details about his past as he seemed to almost be afraid of reliving it all. 

''You've been with 'em for twenty years?'' you couldn't believe it. You had assumed Arthur had been with the gang for a while given their relationship. He was more than loyal to Dutch but you didn't realise just how long he had spent on the run. 

''hmm'' He replied in a hushed tone. ''They taught me everything I know. How to read and write. How to shoot a gun'' 

''How to rob a bank'' you smirked at him. 

''Yeah, all that too'' Arthur turned his attention to the weather outside which was beginning to clear up. For the first time you really looked at Arthur. The way the stubble graced his weathered face except for the one spot on his chin where a scar was. The rough calluses on his hands showing all the heavy labour he had done. He had a genuine smile upon his face as he was speaking to you about his first bank robbery. He didn't smile much. Well, not a lot from what you had seen. He always held a serious face around camp unless his was antagonising someone. But that wasn't a genuine smile, this one, the smile he had now was. Yes, he was a big, broad, intimidating man but in this moment he was just a normal guy talking about his past. You were thankful for the rain as it allowed you this time to actually get to know Arthur. Before now you never knew what to think of him. He was just a well oiled machine that Dutch used to do his dirty work but this conversation with him changed your mind. He was human, he did have emotions, he just chose to not show them. Even when he was talking to you, you could see him cursing himself as he let his guard down slightly. Hiding his smile under the brim of his hat, to not show you what he was really feeling. Although it didn't stop him from talking about his first attempt at robbing. 

''Sorry if I'm boring ya'' he paused as he realised he was talking a lot. 

''Not at all, I'm enjoying it'' you smiled at him reassuringly. ''Who would 'av thought, Arthur Morgan the boy who didn't know how to use dynamite properly'' you teased him after he told you about his botched job on the bank robbery. 

''Never made that mistake again'' he laughed at your comment. It was around mid afternoon when the rain had finally stopped and you couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed. You were really enjoying getting to know Arthur and you didn't know when would be your next opportunity. 

''Well now the weather has cleared we can go see about that house'' Arthur stood up to leave your tent. ''You still up for it?'' 

You had forgotten all about the job Arthur had asked you to do with him. With that you jumped to your feet and grabbed your coat that was still wet. 

''Lead the way sir'' you gave him a nod and followed him over to the horses. Charles was stood at the hitching post tending to the horses. 

''How you doin' Charles?'' Arthur asked as he started to saddle up. 

''Good thank you Arthur'' Charles turned to you and helped you saddle up Dallas. ''Where are you both headed?'' 

''I overheard a rich fella talking about going away for a couple of nights with the Mrs. Leaving an empty house. Just gonna check it out'' Arthur replied. ''Might have a bit of money lying around. (Y/N) is comin' with me. Always good to have an extra pair of hands'' 

''Need me to come along?'' Charles offered as you and Arthur mounted up. 

''Nah, I'm sure we can handle it but thanks anyway'' Arthur kicked his horse into a steady trot. 

''Alright'' Charles shouted after Arthur. He turned his attention to you ''be careful out there'' he gave you a smile and patted Dallas' neck. 

''Always am'' you smiled at him before trotting to catch up to Arthur. You could feel how powerful Dallas was. He was raring to go and you were getting bounced out of the saddle with his big strides. You gave him a pat and tried to steady him before Arthur turned to you again. 

''Want to see what that horse can do?'' Arthur cocked his eyebrow and a cheeky smile appeared on his lips. You knew it was a stupid idea with the ground being so wet and slippy but you couln't help it. 

''Is losing to me once not good enough for you Arthur?'' you teased. His face turned dark with competition. ''To the tree line over there'' you pointed to the distant woods and without a second word you both kicked your horses into a full gallop. The thunder from the horse's hooves was roaring through the heartlands as you raced to the woods. You were neck and neck, both pushing your horses as fast as they could possibly go. Dallas was gaining speed by the second and you could tell he had a lot more to give if you just pushed him on that bit more. Spurring him on slightly, you felt his stride open up until you started to pass Arthur and Siego. You let your reins loose giving Dallas control of his head and before you knew it you were in the lead and gaining distance once again. 

The tree line came up quickly and you struggled to pull Dallas into a steady trot. He had a lot more gallop in him and he was a lot stronger then most of the horses you had ridden before. You gave him a good pat as Arthur came up beside you and you were finally able to pull him up. 

''Keep up next time would ya'' you gave him a cheeky grin. He scoffed at you as he gave his horse a good pat. You both had bright red faces and were struggling to catch your breath. 

''I shoulda kept that horse for myself'' he gestured at Dallas. ''Got a lot of run in 'im don't he'' 

''Sure does, still don't think that was as fast as he could go either'' you kept at a steady walk now to cool off. 

''Alright, no need to rub it in'' Arthur laughed with you. You followed behind Arthur for the rest of the ride to a big farm house just outside Strawberry. There were no other houses nearby so it would be an easy job to do without being spotted. You left the horses just outside of the grounds and crouched behind a bush. 

''Doesn't look like anyone is home but keep an eye out'' Arthur handed you one of his pistols. ''Here, you may need it if things go south''. He told you the plan where he would knock on the front door to see if anyone is home while you go round the back and into the house. You nodded at him in reply and started to make your way round the house. 

You reached the back and peered through the window and saw the house looked empty. Arthur had knocked with no response so you were ready to go. Lock picking was a skill you picked up when you were on the run, many people had locked chests full of valuables so it was a good skill to have which was quiet enough to not draw attention. You picked the lock on the back door and made your way inside. By this point Arthur had made his way round the back and caught up to you. 

''You check to see what you can find down 'er, I'll check upstairs'' he patted you on the shoulder and quietly made his way up the creaky stairs with his pistol at the ready. You started in the kitchen taking bits of food and liquor before going into the dining room. There were a few jewels but nothing of too much value. You could hear Arthur fumbling about when you saw the weird dust pattern near the fireplace. Arthur came stomping down the stairs ''Well.....there ain't much here. What a damn waste of time'' you could sense the frustration in his tone. 

You made your way over to the fireplace to investigate. It looked like someone had fumbled about here not too long ago. You reached into the chimney and felt around until your hand landed on some papers. Pulling them out you saw a couple of bonds and at least $400 stacked together. You held them out to Arthur. 

''They must have known we were comin' or they wouldn't have hidden all this'' you smiled up at Arthur. Your hand was still feeling around in the chimney to see if you had missed anything. Arthur quickly glanced through it all clearly seeing there was a lot of money that could be made from it by the look he gave you. 

You stood up and headed towards the kitchen when you heard a horse and cart pull up to the front door. 

''Shit!'' Arthur muttered as he looked out the window to see the couple had cut their trip short. Keeping your head down you both quietly snuck into the kitchen and out the back door. You headed round the side of the house waiting for the couple to go inside before making your escape. The couple were arguing about some of their belongings being stolen whilst on the road to their destination. You couldn't help but think it was ironic that they had been robbed twice in one day. 

They made their way into the house and you made your way down the drive back to where you left the horses. Arthur followed close behind, you both looking behind you to make sure you hadn't been seen. As you got to the horses you heard a woman shriek and yell ''It's gone''. You didn't stop to watch the show, so you mounted your horses and pushed them into a gallop as far down the road as you could without raising suspicion. 

You couldn't hold it back anymore as you began to laugh. Arthur gave you a look before joining in with your fit of giggles. 

''Could you imagine the look on 'er face when she noticed'' you were crying with laughter at this point. 

''Well least she'll learn not to openly talk about her empty house again'' Arthur laughed back at you. ''Nice job Miss (Y/N)'' he threw your half of the money to you. 

''That was fun'' the smile on your face said it all. 

''That it was'' Arthur admitted. He sounded almost defeated, like he didn't want to admit that he had enjoyed your company today. You both smiled at each other before laughing again. 

It was starting to get dark as you were riding back to camp. You ended up telling Arthur about the first time you tried to rob someone. It had gone horribly wrong because you never had any experience doing things like that. You got caught and had to gallop away from the law but still managed to steal the man's pocket watch and $5. Arthur smiled at you and shook his head in amusement as you rode down the track and into camp. 

''I enjoyed riding with you today'' Arthur said softly as he hitched his horse up. 

''Me too'' you caught his eyes as you spoke. You looked at each other for a moment longer not quite knowing what to say. Arthur was clearly not one for giving complements and you could see his face racing to find the right words to say. 

''I think you should tell Dutch about what you found'' Arthur broke the silence and gestured over to Dutch's tent. ''After all it was you who found all this'' he passed you back the bonds. You couldn't help but feel grateful, even though it was Arthur's job he was willing to give you the credit. On the same note you weren't the type to take credit for something that wasn't fully yours to take. 

''You comin' with me? It was your job, I can't take all the credit' you glanced at Arthur as you headed over to Dutch's tent. When you both reached the tent, Dutch was sitting on his cot reading a book. He looked up and closed his book as he saw you approaching. 

''Well hello there Miss'' he gave you a shy smile. ''Arthur'' he nodded in Arthurs direction. ''How can I help you''. 

''Arthur had a tip on a house so we went to check it out, we may have found something'' you held out the bonds and money to Dutch to inspect. Dutched flicked through the papers you had handed him and a huge grin appeared on his face. He was very clearly happy with what you had just passed him just as Arthur was. 

''Did you run into any trouble?'' he looked at Arthur now. 

''Not really, we got out just before they got home'' Arthur answered. ''(Y/N) found the bonds hidden in the chimney. Apart from that, there wasn't much to take'' he nodded in your direction as to direct Dutch's attention to you. 

''Well Miss (Y/N) you've done good. You've done very good'' he stood up and patted you on the shoulder. ''We will have to get you out on more jobs if this is the sort of thing you bring in'' he paused looking at you and then Arthur. ''You two make quiet the team''. 

''Thanks Dutch'' you nodded at him before taking your leave. Arthur turned to follow you out of the tent. 

''Arthur, I need to speak to you'' Dutch stopped him in his tracks. You gave them both a smile and left them both to talk. 

None of the girls were sitting at the fire tonight but you saw John and Sean and decided to join them. 

''There she is'' John called after you as he saw you. You took your seat on the log next to him and he passed you a warm bowl of Pearson's stew. The stew warmed you up right to the core and you had to take a second helping. ''How was the job?'' John nudged your arm impatiently waiting for an update. 

After you finished your second bowl of stew you told them about the job and what you had managed to steal. They both looked at you approvingly. As you finished your story Arthur left Dutch's tent and joined you round the fire. He grabbed himself a bowl of stew and lowered himself onto the log opposite you and John. 

''Arthur'' Sean cheered. ''Is (Y/N) gonna be comin' on jobs with us now, eh?'' 

You shot Sean a look before shyly looking at Arthur. He took a mouthful of stew before looking up at Sean. 

''I'd rather have her there then you'' Arthur smirked. ''Least she can hit a target'' he glanced at you and gave you a blushed smile before turning his attention back to his stew. Sean was visibly offended by Arthurs comment but you couldn't help but feel flattered. You were not sure if he meant what he said because you knew he liked to tease Sean. However, you felt like some part of him meant it. 

''You can shoot?'' John interrupted Sean from saying anything back to Arthur. He looked at you with an impressed smirk. 

''Yeah I guess'' you looked at your feet and blushed. 

''You are one impressive woman (Y/N)'' John nudged you again. The heat ran to your cheeks as you blushed. You knew full well they were all teasing you but it felt nice to be included. Arthur muttered something under his breath but you couldn't quite make out his words and before you had a chance to ask he stood up and said goodnight before going to his tent. You sat with Sean and John for a little longer before you also took your leave. 

As you were on your way to your tent you saw that Arthur was still awake and scribbling in his journal again. You wondered what he had in his journal, maybe it was a diary or was it just his own ledger that he kept. When you reached your tent you closed the flap behind you before getting undressed into your night wear. It was nice to finally get out of the wet clothes you had been in all day and the dry fabric warmed you almost instantly. You laid on your bed before your thoughts wandered again. 

Only this morning you were questioning Arthur and now you had spent the day with him, that had all changed. Today was the most alive you had felt in years and that was all thanks to him. You had proven to Arthur what you were capable of and he had vouched for you to the other men and to Dutch. Maybe now you wouldn't be stuck in camp as often with Mrs Grimshaw doing chores. Maybe now you could go on some real jobs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. There is tons of fluff in this one but there is so much more to come.


	4. 4

Mrs Grimshaw didn't hold back on the chores. She really meant it when she said having a day off means you have twice as much to do the day after. You washed everyone's clothes, chopped all of the vegetables for Pearson and you were currently looking after the horses and it wasn't even mid morning yet. It was a hot day and the sun was taking its toll on you. It was burning against your skin and because you were doing your chores there was no shelter from it. You had a very thin shirt on with the sleeves rolled up and as many buttons as you could get away with undone. Sweat beads were running down your forehead and you were feeling fed up. However, you didn't want to give Mrs Grimshaw the satisfaction of shouting at you for slacking so you pushed through and worked as fast as you could. You saw the way she spoke to Tilly when she took a minute break and you wouldn't let that happen to you. Everyone was doing their part, Charles and Kiran were helping you with the horses, Bill was on duty, John was moving heavy sacks for Pearson and Arthur was chopping wood. The only person you could see not pulling their weight was Molly O'Shea. You never spoke to Molly much, not because you didn't like her but because she kept herself to herself. She never included herself with the girls much and you always wondered why. The few convocations you had with her were always pleasent but brief. From what you could tell she was head over heels for Dutch but he was always busy and unable to give the the time of day back. She tried to hide the fact she was upset and felt underappreciated but sometimes you would catch her sobbing or talking to Abigail about it. You had seen so many women get caught up over men and you never understood it. Feeling so strongly about a man was very unfamiliar with you and you always told yourself you never needed a man to complete you. Molly never got told off by Mrs Grimshaw though. I guess they had some sort of understanding which made her exempt. 

''You alright there'' you turned round to see Sadie holding out a cup of water for you. You took the cup gratefully and drank the whole thing. 

''Thank you'' you wiped your mouth from the few drops that escaped down your chin. 

''You looked like you were working hard, didn't want you dying on us'' She gave you a shy smile. ''Need a hand?'' you nodded at her and you both fed and brushed the horses in silence. Sadie had lost her husband not too long ago because the O'Driscoll's killed him. She has been heartbroken and most days you would see her sobbing and avoiding people. 

You checked on the mare who had stood on a nail a couple of days ago. The wound was healing nicely so you and Sadie made a poultice and wrapped it for the last time. 

''How are you?'' you broke the silence. Instantly you regretted what you had asked. She was finally doing something to take her mind off things and you had to go and bring it back up. 

''I've been better'' she smiled at you. ''but I need to do things again. Sittin' and thinkin' ain't gonna bring my Jake back'' you could see she was trying to hold back the tears.

''I understand'' you smiled back at her. You had just about finished with the mare and you only had a couple more jobs to do. ''Want to help me with some pots?'' all the horses had been brushed and fed and you wanted to help Sadie. Well...she was helping you but you could help get her mind off things too. She nodded and you both went to get the pots from Pearson to take to the stream to clean. It was the first time in a while she had been away from the camp, even though it wasn't too far away it was a breath of fresh air for her. You gathered all the pots in a pile next to the stream and crouched beside it to wash them. The water was cool so you both took your boots and socks off and put your feet in. You even pulled your trousers up slightly and walked in so the water went up to your knees. It allowed you both a small relief from the mid day heat. As you were washing the pots Sadie began to talk about how she had met Jake. You listened quietly as she reminist on their first date together and she began to smile. You couldn't help think how hard it must have been to lose someone you loved so dearly. 

''What about you?'' she looked at you. ''You ever been in love?'' you stopped in your tracks. You thought about the questions for a moment before answering. 

''No'' you turned away from Sadie and carried on with your chore. 

''Not even been sweet on anyone?'' Sadie pressed. 

''I never had a chance'' you replied with a stiff smile. You had never trusted or cared for any other man but your father. All the other men you had come across had abused you or been cruel to you. When you finally escaped from your captors you found it hard to trust men plus you could look after yourself easy enough. 

''What do you mean by that?'' Sadies face went soft. 

You told her your story about the men that killed your father and what they had done to you. ''I guess I just haven't had any men in my life that ain't monsters'' you looked at Sadie as you finished. She was looking at you like you had been shot. Her mouth was wide open and her brows were furrowed. 

''But you get on with the men at camp. How do you even trust a man after all that'' she passed you the last dirty dish. 

''My daddy was the kindest person I knew'' you smiled as you took the dish and started scrubbing it. ''He never hurt anyone without reason, he was always gentle, thoughtful and he was amazing with animals. He made me think that not all men are cruel. If it wasn't for him I wouldn't be able to trust any man. But I'm glad I did because these men'' you gestured to the camp ''are making me believe that I have just been unlucky with the men I have run into. It wasn't just my daddy that was kind'' you gave a weak smile towards Sadie as you finished washing the last dish. 

''I'm sorry'' Sadie grabbed the other dishes to carry back. ''and I thought I had the toughest couple months'' you both giggled as you started to walk back to camp. 

"So you've never been with a man?" Sadie asked. "Through your own will". 

"Once" you said trying to avoid eye contact with her. "We had a stable boy for a summer once, when we had double our normal amount of horses" you blushed as Sadie nudged your arm. 

"Go on" she pushed you to keep talking. 

"I guess he was nice too" you paused. "I wasn't in love with him or nothin'. He was just the first man to give me any attention. It happened once the day before he left and that was it. I never saw him again" 

"Men are such pigs ain't they" Sadie giggled and you joined in. 

There was shouting as you saw Lenny gallop back into camp and run over to Dutch shouting about Micha. You rolled your eyes as you overheard that Micha had gotten himself arrested in Strawberry because he had gotten into a fight and killed someone. Typical. Lenny was visibly shaken and Arthur agreed to take him to town and get him drunk. You caught Arthurs eye as he was going to leave, he gave you a nod and a smile from under his hat before he mounted up and left the camp. Not all men are monsters you thought as you watched him ride away. 

It was starting to get dark by the time you had finished your chores. The sun setting brought the temperature down so you were able to get some relief from the heat. You rolled your sleeves down and did up the buttons on your shirt before grabbing a bowl of stew and sitting by the fire. 

''Damn, I was enjoying that view'' Bill moaned as you sat down. He was drunk which wasn't unusual for him. You shot him an irritated glance and tried to ignore his comments. 

''What did you just say to her?'' a voice from behind you roared clearly irritated by Bill's comment. 

''I'm just sayin', it was nice to 'av somethin' to look at'' Bill laughed. 

Before you knew it John was standing in front of Bill and with one movement shoved him to the floor. Bill was much larger than John but he had an advantage when Bill was drunk. Bill went down with a thud spilling his stew all over himself. 

''The hell Marston?'' Bill moaned as he crawled onto his knees. He was clumsily trying to rub the stew from his clothes and stand up. 

''You don't talk to her like that, now apologise'' John demanded. His fist was so tense it had gone white, he stood over Bill waiting for his next move. John's face was stern as he began to bring his fist up. Without a second thought you stood up and grabbed John's arm to turn him away before it became a bigger issue. 

''John, it don't matter. He's drunk'' you looked him in the eyes and you saw him suddenly soften. Bill was crawling off to his tent as you pulled John away to sit by the fire. 

''He gets away with speaking like that too much'' John sat next to you. His brows furrowed and he was still tense. ''Being a drunk ain't no excuse for it''. 

''I know but no harm was done'' you tried to catch his attention. ''Thank you though, you didn't have to rush in there like that'' he finally turned to look at you as you smiled at him. 

''I'm sorry, he just makes me so mad'' he smiled back at you. He had calmed down now and you could see him coming back into reality. John had defended you which no one had ever managed to do before. You knew you were in no danger with Bill and you could have easily defended yourself against him but it was nice to know someone had your back. For once you weren't completely on your own. 

"He's a fool but that's it. I know he wouldn't actually hurt me" you tried to reassure John. "Plus, I think I could take him if he tried" you chuckled. Bill was three times your size but when he was drunk he was defensless. You had taken on bigger and tougher men before but you needed to make light of the situation. John soon laughed with you and you focused back onto your stew. 

No one had seen the events that had just happened so when people started to join you by the fire no one questioned it. You knew John would have defended any of the women in camp but you didn't want anyone thinking too deeply into it. Especially Abigail who was quick at reacting to John's actions. She was completely in love with John and all she wanted was to be a family but if John showed any kindness to any other girl she would get extremely jealous. It was understandable as he didn't pay her much attention from day to day. That's why Molly and her got on so well. They were in the same boat and knew how each other felt. 

You didn't stay up for long as the day had taken all the energy out of you so you quickly dismissed yourself once you had finished your food and went to bed. 

The next morning you noticed Lenny was back but Arthur was still missing. judging by Lenny's face, as he came to get his morning coffee, they had had a good night. 

''You alright there?'' you asked him as he looked like he was going to fall from the log he was sat on. 

''Hmm'' he hummed in reply. You rushed to catch him before he collapsed on the floor. Throwing his arm over your shoulder, you attempted to carry him back to his bed. He was very limp and unbalanced which made it increasingly difficult so you shouted Javier to help. You both carried him across camp and back to his bedroll. It didn't take him long before he was sleeping again. You couldn't help but chuckle at the state he had managed to get himself in. 

"Must have had a good night amigo" Javier smiled down at Lenny. 

Although you found this amusing you couldn't help feeling a bit worried about Arthur. Where was he? You tried to brush off this thought as he was more than capable of looking after himself. To take your mind off things you did all of your chores and helped Charles and Kieran with the horses. Kieran knew as much as you when it came to horses. You were speaking to him about the best horses your daddy used to breed when you saw Arthur enter camp with Reverent Swanson stowed on the back off his horse. Swanson was passed out drunk and Arthur didn't look much better then Lenny had. You watched as he carried Swanson over to his tent before dumping him on the ground. Mrs Grimshaw rushed over to aid with Swanson and you turned your attention back to the horses. 

You carried on your conversation with Kieran about the different horses when you were interrupted. 

''O'Driscoll!'' Arthur's voice boomed over both of you as he approached. Kieran almost shuddered at his presence and became very nervous. You could tell this gave Arthur pleasure to see a man shudder before him. 

''I ain't an O'Driscoll'' Kiran replied through a shaky voice. He didn't look Arthur in the eye but concentrated on the ground or anything else he could look at. Anything to avoid the man in front of him who had threatened, on many occasions, to kill him. 

''Sure'' Arthur turned his attention to you. His eyes were clouded and his skin was pale. You could tell that he had gone just as hard as Lenny last night and you couldn't help but giggle at the sight of him. ''I'm going to run a few errands for Strauss. Want to come?'' he was ignoring your emused glances at him. 

''Alright'' you nodded and headed to Dallas to get him saddled up. The both of you headed out before you asked what you were doing. Debt collecting was not something you had ever been familiar with. 

''Two people is always more intimidating than one'' he explained as you rode side by side to the first unfortunate person. 

''Ahh, is that so'' you responded. You knew Arthur could easily do this job on his own and he would never admit that he may actually enjoy your company. This was just the way he was and you were learning to accept it. You didn't want to let your thoughts get the best of you though because he might genuinely just want backup. ''So, how you feelin' after last night? By the looks of Lenny this morning you really went for it'' you giggled changing the subject. Arthur shot you a look before looking down and smirking with you as he realised you were just teasing. 

''He's a good kid'' he rubbed the bridge of his nose. ''I'm paying for it today''. 

The first debt collection was easy enough. Arthur did all of the work and you just routed through the man's house to get enough to pay his debt. As you were riding away to the second debt collection you couldn't help but make fun of Arthur for not understanding the man you had just collected from. 

''He was German. It's not a made up language'' you laughed at him. 

''Not my fault he don't know english'' Arthur shrugged. 

There was a moment's silence between you two as you finished giggling to yourself. 

''How was your night then?'' he asked, trying to change the subject away from his embarrassment. 

''Alright'' you replied. ''Managed to get my chores done before it got dark and by that point I was too tired to stay up late''. 

''Mrs Grimshaw worked everyone hard didn't she'' he scoffed. 

''Your tellin' me'' you rolled your eyes. ''It was so damn hot too. Couldn't seem to cool down no matter what I did. Bill seemed happy watching though'' Arthur quickly shot you a confised look. 

''What do ya mean by that?'' his voice was suddenly irritated. 

''Nothin' just he made a comment about my shirt being unbuttoned slightly, you know how Bill is'' you looked at Arthur and saw his face had become stern. ''It was fine though because John stood in to defend me'' you added to try and see if that would calm Arthur down. 

''John?'' Arthur interrupted. His brow was furrowed and his grip had tightened on his reins. He watched your face intently. 

''Yeah, pushed Bill over. It was all because he was drunk'' you smirked trying to lighten the subject again. ''Could have easily defended myself'' 

Arthur looked away from you and covered his eyes with the brim of his hat. You couldn't tell what was going on in his head. Was he annoyed at the fact that Bill had made a comment about you or that John had stood in. Arthur wasn't giving anything away. 

''What's wrong?'' you decided to ask. You could have spent all day wondering what he was thinking so you decided to save yourself the time. 

''That man never learns'' Arthur scoffed. ''He's a drunken fool and he shouldn't talk to you like that'' he looked up to meet your eyes. ''He's lucky I weren't there''. 

You were about to interject when you arrived at the next collection. Which ended up in a fight between Arthur and a man. You sat and watched as punches were being thrown. Getting involved didn't seem like a good option as Arthur clearly needed to let out some frustration from your previous conversation. It wasn't long before he had won and collected the money. There had been a witness to the fight which you decided to handle yourself. You caught up to the man very quickly before threatening him to not get the law on you both. He laughed in your face until you pulled out your pistle. The man's face dropped and he squirmed before agreeing to keep his mouth shut. When you returned to Arthur he was mounted up and ready to go to the next stop. 

''I can defend myself you know'' you stated as you rode next to him. Arthur glanced at you but didn't say anything which irritated you further. ''Do you not think I can?''. 

''Course I do'' Arthur snapped back before realising the harshness in his voice. ''Just don't want anything happenin' to ya that's all'' his tone of voice was softer this time but he avoided your gaze as he spoke. 

''Bill don't scare me'' you laughed ''especially with a stupid comment like that'' you were surprised with Arthur's reaction. Did he actually care about you enough to get irritated over a silly comment? No. He cares for everyone in the camp just as John does. Why would you even think anyone would care about you. Plus Arthur was always annoyed at Bill for some reason. 

''I know but he should know better'' Arthur shook his head. 

"It was nothin'. I've had worse then him" you laughed. Arthur's face changed when you said that. He looked at you like he used to when you were tied to the waggon. It was like he was looking at an injured puppy. You hated this look he gave you. You didn't want his sympathy and you definitely weren't looking for it so when he was about to say something you cut him short. 

''Who's next'' you asked. You could have carried on the conversation but you both knew you wouldn't get anything from it but more annoyed. 

You ended up in a chase with the next debt collection as the man tried to run from you both. Luckily for you both, you had plenty of practice at racing your horses so the man didn't get far. Arthur ended up lassoing and pulling him from his horse before collecting his stashed money from a tree. You only had one more stop before returning to camp. A man called Thomas Dowds. Strauss had warned Arthur that he may try to wiggle his way out of paying. 

"That was fun" you laughed catching your breath from the chase. 

"It's a good job we 'av good horses" Arthur smiled at you and gave Siego a pat. 

''Aren't you supposed to be gettin' Micha out of jail?'' you came to the realisation as you were on your way to the Dowds farm. 

''That man can wait. Might do him some good being locked up for a while'' Arthur smirked at the thought of Micah in a cell. You could tell that they never got on well and Arthur was glad to be rid of him for a bit. 

''Ain't he supposed to be hanged?'' 

''Here's hoping'' Arthur turned to see you hide your giggle at his comment. Micah was a piece of work and you did your most to avoid him around camp. His presence wasn't missed around camp. Except for Dutch who seemed to have a soft spot for him. 

You arrived at the Dowds farm and you watched as Arthur approached the man. He pleaded that he didn't have the money and Arthur grabbed him by his collar and held him against the fence post. His wife and son had run out to help him shouting that the man was ill and dying. Arthur didn't listen to their calls as he punched the man in his face. Blood spattered across Arthus face but he didn't flinch. You had seen Arthur fight a man today but this was different. It didn't feel right. You knew better then to get involved so you looked away and remained seated on your horse. Arthur stormed back and mounted empty handed for the first time today. Without a word he kicked his horse into a gallop and you followed. 

You finally came to an open bit of land far away from the farm before bringing your horses to a halt. 

''Damn Strauss'' Arthur cursed. ''Giving money to a dying man'' his voice was angry but not at anyone other than himself. You stayed quiet searching for the right words to say. Arthur wiped the blood from his face and turned to look at you. You were looking at the floor avoiding his gaze. The thought of the dying man borrowing money to try and pay for treatment only to find he wasn't getting better was saddening to you. You had killed people and robbed them but this felt different. 

''It ain't your fault he's dying Arthur. He shouldn't have borrowed what he can't pay back'' you finally said trying to convince you both that it was just another job. Arthur looked at you with a straight face, his eyes filled with regret. He shuffled in the saddle and composed himself. 

''Yeah well, he better get that money'' he finally said, his voice was deep and rough again with no emotion. He was trying to hide the fact you had already seen he was also affected by what had just happened. Arthur couldn't allow his emotions to get involved. If he did, he would never get the jobs done. He learnt that a long time ago. You watched as he put his feelings to one side and his face became stern again. 

''Want a drink?'' you asked as you grabbed a bottle of whiskey from your saddle bag. You had grabbed it whilst raiding the German man's house. Arthur gave you a shy smile as he took the bottle from you. He took a shot and winced at the harshness of the liquer. 

''Thanks'' he handed it back to you and you took a shot yourself. ''and thank you for your company again. Always nice to ride with you'' he tipped his hat to you. 

''The pleasure is all mine'' you smiled at him. "You alright?" you finally asked almost nervous to hear the reply. 

"I'm fine" his voice was soft and unshaken. "Let's get back to camp" he pushed his horse into a trot and you rode beside him. His face almost looked sad and beat up. It had been a long day especially when he was hungover from the night with Lenny but he seemed saddened. 

''Next time I take the lead. Can't have you doin' all the work'' you tried to cheer him up slightly. 

''Be my guest'' Arthur nodded at you with a faint smile. 

You got to camp just after sunset. It had been a long day of riding and the horses were tired. You offered to tend to the horses while Arthur sorted the debts collected. Both horses had marks in their hair from where the saddles had been sitting so you brushed them off thoroughly before feeding them. The rest of camp were either in their tents or by the fire. You took your time with the horses as you weren't in the sociable mood. Dallas was quietly nudging you as you patted him for a while, occasionally giving him an oat cake. It was so dark that you knew no one in camp would be able to see you but you could just watch them all round the fire from afar. Every day here seemed to be something new. You never really got rid of the feeling in your stomach that told you to be scared. After all you were still an outlaw and each day you could be caught or shot. However, you had never felt so safe. Not for a long time anyway. You had people to protect you and care for you. It was a warm feeling that you hadn't felt for a very long time and after the incident with Bill last night you knew that you would even be defended against other gang members. Maybe the feeling in your stomach was because you were scared this could all be taken from you. Today had been very different from the first job you had with Arthur. Your fist job together was fun and successful but today felt emotional. Although, you enjoyed his company you couldn't help but feel like the last job took its toll on both of you. You made your way to your tent without being spotted by anyone as you avoided gathering around the fire tonight. The blanket covered you as you laid in your cot and you began to think again but this time about Arthur. A few hours had past. You couldn't sleep and you found yourself walking to find him. He was sat on his cot writing in his journal again. 

"Arthur" your voice was almost a whisper as you approach him. He glanced up at you and moved to make room for you to sit next to him. "What do you scribble in that thing?" you gestured. 

"Just what's on my mind" he answered shyly putting the journal away. 

"Hmm, must be a lot on your mind then" you smirked at him. 

"Can't you sleep?" He asked. You shook your head in response. The camp was quiet now as everyone was in bed. From what you could tell only you and Arthur were awake. 

"You ever wanted a different life Arthur?" you shyly asked. He looked up at you taken a back by your question. "You've been with the gang for twenty years. Did you not want to settle down?" you had thought about this for a while. Arthur was a young, handsome man that could do a lot with his life yet he chose to stay with Dutch. You knew he was loyal and this gang was like his family but you wondered if he ever wanted more. Or did he just like the thrill of life as an outlaw. You know you did. It's exciting and everyday is an adventure but you could imagine after so long it gets tiring. 

"I've thought about it. I had a chance once too but this is who I am" he paused. He looked over to a picture that was sat on his chest. It was of him and a girl sat together. They both looked young and happy in the moment. 

"An chance with her?" your voice was still a whisper hoping not to wake anyone as you gestured to the photograph. 

"Her name is Mary" he looked down at his feet. "We were engaged to be married but her family didn't approve of who I was and neither of us would change" Arthur's voice was delicate whilst talking about her. You would have never guessed that Arthur had ever been in love. He kept his emotions so locked within himself that you looked at him with disbelief. You couldn't believe he was opening up to you. Maybe she was the reason why he was this way. Did he used to be open about how he was feeling until she came along? Did she hurt him so badly that he now felt like he couldn't let anyone in. 

"You shouldn't have to change for someone to love you Arthur" you finally spoke. "Someone should love you for who you are and not expect you to change" you defended him. Arthur looked into your eyes and smiled. His blue eyes were full and you could see the light from the moon glowing in them. He was trying not to let himself get too caught up in the conversation and you could tell he was holding back. 

"Well, that was a long time ago" he brushed the subject off. "She's now married to some rich fella and I'm still here with Dutch" he scoffed under the brim of his hat. 

"Least you have all these people who care about you" you reassured him. "You have a family" you knew how lonely it could be when everything you have is taken from you. You rested your hand on his shoulder to comfort him. Hosea had done this to you when you told him about your past and something about this simple touch comforted you. You tried to do the same for Arthur as you finally saw him vulnerable which you felt he hated being. 

"You are in this family now too" he turned to face you not breaking eye contact. His hand came up to rest on your hand which was still on his shoulder. You felt warmth in his touch and you didn't want to move away from it. His hand was rough and dry as it gently laid on yours. Your thoughts brought you out of the moment when he pulled away from you. Taking his hand off yours and abandoning your touch. 

"Thank you Arthur" you wispered again. "I'll leave you to sleep" you stood up and smiled at him. Before he could say anything you turned on your heels and rushed back to your tent. What had just happened? For a moment you and Arthur were vulnerable. It was a slight moment of weakness that you never thought you would see. Especially with him. You understand now why he always acted so tough. He had laid his feeling on the line before and it ended up with him getting hurt so he would never let it happen again. But just for one moment he was and it was with you. 


	5. 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So in this chapter the reader goes on her first real job!! Plus a lot more time spent with Arthur and tons of fluff. I hope you enjoy

A few days had passed since your talk with Arthur. You had spent most days doing chores for Mrs Grimshaw. You spent so many hours washing clothes that your hands became dry and cracked. Charles gave you some plant mixture that you could rub into your skin to moisturise them before they became too sore. Some days Arthur would also ask you to go on little jobs with him. These days were always your favourite because you could leave camp for a couple of hours. The both of you managed to steal an oil wagon while it was on the road to valentine. There was something mentioned about a big train job coming up and this was the way to stop it. Neither of you brought up the conversation you both had or the moment of vulnerability you shared. You were greatful for this as you didn't like being put on the spot and you knew Arthur was the same. Arthur would even ask you to ride to Valentine with him just to post some mail which would end up in another race with your horses. You always won of course. It was nice to laugh and have fun again. You thought you had forgotten what fun was at one point so you were thankful for Arthur for bringing this back into your life. He was still a closed book but you could understand why now. You were glad you were able to bring his fun side out and make him laugh. Most of the time he shut people out or had to be serious but when you were with him you tried to not take things too seriously. He never said so but he seemed to appreciate it too. 

''(Y/N)'' you were jumped back to reality at the sounds of your name. You were washing clothes when John appeared next to you. 

''Oh, I'm sorry John I wasn't quite with it'' you looked up at him from your clothes. 

''I could see that'' he chuckled slightly. ''Feel like coming on a job?'' John lit a cigarette and sat down beside you. 

''What kinda job?'' you carried on washing the clothes while speaking to John as you could see Mrs Grimshaw watching you like a hawk. 

''There's a train comin' through tonight. Gonna be a lot of rich people on it with no guard'' he grinned at you. ''Easy job but we need an extra hand. Seen as you say you are so good at shootin', I thought why not you?'' John teased. 

''Alright'' you smiled. ''I'm in. Who else is comin''' 

''Great. Me, Charles and Arthur'' John took a drag from his cigarette. "How have you been? Your hands look sore" he looked at your hands as you were scrubbing out a stain from a shirt. 

"Mrs Grimshaw has been working me extra hard" you sighed. "Don't think she likes me wondering off all the time" you nudged John's arm. 

"I see" he giggled. "I can always ask someone else to come tonight if it's too much to handle" he teased you looking around the camp as if he was looking for another candidate. 

"Oi, I ain't complaining. I ain't afraid of hard work" you chuckled. 

"Good" John patted you on the shoulder before standing up to take his leave. ''I'll come get you later'' and with that John left you to finish washing the clothes. You had been on small jobs for the gang before but this was different. This was a big job. Not just a stagecoach or a random house but a train. You were feeling so excited that you couldn't stop grinning and that's when Karen came rushing over. 

''What was that about (Y/N)?'' she came and sat where John was and she had a look of intrigue on her face. 

''John just asked if I wanted to go on the job tonight, I'm so excited. I will finally be going on a proper job'' you grinned at her and her face almost frowned. ''What's wrong?'' you raised your left eyebrow. 

''That's boring'' she laughed. ''I thought you and John were like....well you know'' she gave you a nudge with her elbow. 

''Me and John'' your jaw dropped before you giggled. ''No, no, no. We are just friends'' 

''So I can see'' Karen sighed. ''Its a good job anyway cause I don't think Abigail would be best pleased. Still no one then?'' she looked in your eyes hopeful that you would say you were sweet on someone but you responded with a shake of the head. You never thought of any of the men as more than just a friend and you were fine with that. Karen stayed with you for a while to help with the rest of the washing. She told you all about her past love affairs and the one that got away. 

''What about Sean?'' you gave her a cheeky glance. 

''That was just a one night thing'' she brushed the subject off but you knew she liked him more than she was letting on. 

Before you knew it the sun was setting on another day but this time you weren't begining to settle in for the night. You were getting ready for the job and John had told you to grab a couple guns from the ammunition wagon. The wagon was full of fire power and you were spoilt for choice. You grabbed a spare gun belt and loaded it with two pistols before putting it around your waist. There were four different rifles and you picked the one that was similar to what you used to have and there it over your shoulder. Once you had everything you made your way over to Charles and John who were getting the horses ready. Your heart was beating quickly and you could feel your blood running hot, eager to go. 

''Where is Arthur?'' you noticed he barely been in camp all day and he wasn't back to join you yet. 

''He was out with little Jack fishing today when they ran into some trouble with the pinkertons'' John explained. ''He's gone to talk with Dutch but he'll meet us there'' you mounted up and without a second word you were riding out to where you and Arthur had hidden the oil wagon. This was the first job you had done with any one other then Arthur so you felt the pressure to prove yourself to the other men. 

"You ready for this (Y/N)?" Charles asked as you rode next to each other. 

"I am" you nodded at him. "You don't have to worry about me Charles. I can handle this". 

"I believe you" he smiled. "If Arthur says you have a good shot then I trust you. He don't normaly complement people on their shooting" 

"Thank you" you pushed your horse into a quicker canter so that Charles didn't see the slight blush on your cheeks. You arrived at the wagon and saw that Sean and Arthur were already there. 

''What are you doing here kid?'' John was clearly irritated to see Sean. 

''I'm comin' John, on the job'' Sean muttered in his Irish accent with a brief smirk on his face. 

''I said you weren't comin'"John stood in front of the Irishman and looked him up and down. 

''Well Arthur says I am and it's his party'' Sean turned from John and began to mount the wagon. John was visibly irritated as he shot Arthur a glance who just threw his hands up in surrender. ''Anyways if she is comin' then I definitely am'' Sean gestured to you once he was sitting in the driver's seat. Arthur noticed you were there for the first time and smiled from under his hat. 

"(Y/N)" Arthur greeted you as he tipped his hat. 

"Mr Morgan" you replied to him with a smile and a nod before you mounted up. 

You clung to the side of the wagon with Charles as you set off to the rail tracks. The journey wasn't long which was lucky because there was only so much of Seans muttering everyone could take. Arthur parked the oil wagon on the tracks as you took cover with the rest of the boys while you waited for the train. You were crouched behind a tree and you watched as Arthur climbed to stand on top of the oil wagon. 

''You ready for this?'' Charles whispered to you and you gave him a nod in reply. Your heart was beating out of your chest now and everything around you went quiet. The mask covering your face was condensating every breath you took onto your skin. It didn't take long before you heard the train coming down the tracks. Arthur was still standing tall and unflinched on the wagon as the train came into sight. You tightened your grip on your rifle as your palms were getting sweaty. As soon as the train came to a halt, you followed closely behind John to board it as Charles took out the conductor. John and you took the lead in getting the valuables off the passengers which they all gladly gave over to you. Arthur wasn't too far behind you and joined in helping with the passengers. You worked the two carts of people making sure they gave over everything, even if that meant John or Arthur beating it out of them. Arthur left you and John to help Sean with the baggage cart. People carried on giving you there jewels and money. You had just collected from the last passengers and next thing you knew you heard shots being fired. You ran to the baggage carriage to see what was going on but when you got there two men had turned up on horses beside the train. Arthur was quick to shout insults at them as he gestured to you to get ready to fight. You crouched behind one of the creates and looked to see who the men were when more of them turned up. John and Charles were crouched behind you with there guns at the ready. 

"Follow my lead" Arthur shouted to you all. 

He was quick to fire, killing two of them. Before you knew it you were all firing at each other, you pulled out your rifle and gunned a few of them down but more kept appearing. Bullets were flying everywhere as you used the creat as cover. Two of the men were targeting Sean who had hit his head pretty badly. They were hidden behind the trees but you managed to pick them off one at a time. You ran to Sean and pulled him to his feet. 

"Come on, we need to move" you shouted at him as you pushed him to move before you all jumped off the train and mounted your horses that had followed you. 

''Follow me'' Arthur shouted to you all before galloping away from the train. You were being followed by men shooting at you so you dropped your reins for Dallas to follow the others and turned in your saddle to fire back. Three of the men fell as you shot bullets into their heads but one was proving to be a difficult target. You fired four shots all missing the target. The man was firing at you as you were galloping away trying to dodge each shot. Quickly you decided to turn Dallas around and throw the man off his tracks. It worked, he stumbled and pulled his horse up and you managed to shoot him down before turning back around to follow the others. You rode for a while until you were sure no one was left following you before you all came to a halt. 

''Whoa, that was fun boys'' Sean gasped. ''and girl'' he turned back to you as you caught up. Arthur threw you your part of the money you had made, there must have been at least $100 each if not more. You felt your heart rate start to go back to normal as you gave Dallas a big pat on the neck. Everything happened so quickly that you were unsure if it actually happened or had you just imagined it. 

''Was that a set up? Those men turned up real fast'' John questioned. 

''I don't know, I don't think so but I'm starting to get nervous'' Arthur replied looking down at the ground. You all stood catching your breath for a minute. 

''Well (Y/N)....I'm definitely asking you to come more often'' John turned to you smiling. "Good job" You couldn't help but blush slightly at his comment and you were glad you managed to prove once again you can hold your own. 

''Aye, if it wasn't for you I'd still be on that damn train'' Sean interjected. 

''Try not to get hit in the head next time Sean'' you fired back and everyone laughed. 

''Everyone split up and make your way back to camp, make sure you ain't being followed'' Arthur instructed. You were about to turn Dallas around when Arthur stopped you. ''(Y/N), feel like going huntin'?''. 

''What? Now?'' you gave him a questioning look as it was the middle of the night. 

''Nah first thing in the morning but I know somewhere we can camp for the night. Saves us a long journey in the mornin','' he gestured his head to follow him so you did without question. Everyone went there separate ways with a nod and you followed Arthur closely. 

It was pitch black and the stars were bright in the night sky. You spent a lot of the ride looking up and admiring the different shapes they made but soon dark clouds rolled in and it began to rain heavily. By the time you got to a good location to camp you were wet through and so were the horses. You dismounted and helped Arthur to set up a tent and both your bedrolls before hitching the horses under the driest cover you could find. The both of you sat under the cover of the tent and watched as the rain poured down. You peeled off your wet coat and sat with your knees to your chest and your arms wrapped around you keeping all the warmth you had within you. 

''Didn't expect you to come on the job tonight'' Arthur pulled out a cigarette and lit it. He was also drenched from the downpour and his shirt clung to every muscle. 

''John asked me earlier'' you looked at Arthur as he put his hat to one side and took a drag. 

''You did good'' Arthur smiled at you. ''Not that I didn't think you would. Hell, you did miles better than Sean. The daft bastard'' you both smirked at his comment. 

''It's not hard to look good when comparing me to him'' you laughed and Arthur joined in. 

''You couldn't not look good if you tried'' Arthur said shyly before clearing his throat. ''Damn pinkertons on our case'' he changed the subject. What did he mean by that? You guess that he meant you were good at handling yourself and maybe it just came out wrong so you brushed it off. 

''Turned up quick didn't they'' you began to shiver. The wet clothes had soaked you right down to your skin and there was no fire to warm you back up. You tried to minimise your shakes but it only made it worse. 

''You cold?'' Arthur had noticed and was visibly concerned. 

''A little. I'll be fine soon. Looks like the rain might stop soon so I can start a fire'' you gave him a weak smile. 

''You got any dry clothes with ya?'' you replied by shaking your head. This was the first night you had spent away from camp so you had never thought of putting clothes in your bag. Arthur then began to rummage through his bag and pulled out a dry blue shirt. ''Here, this might help'' he handed you the shirt. 

''What about you? you felt bad as you didn't want him to get cold either. 

''I'll be fine, I've got my dry bedroll for warmth'' he smiled at you and finished his cigarette. 

''Thank you Arthur'' you crawled to the back of the tent so Arthurs back was facing you and began to unbutton your soaked shirt and trousers. You threw them to the floor and pulled on Arthurs shirt. The warmth from the dry material was bliss and the shirt was so big on you that it fell down to your knees. It smelt of whiskey and cigarettes which only made you smile more. You sat down on your bed roll before telling Arthur you were decent. He turned round and looked almost flustered seeing you in just his shirt. He tried to avoid staring at you by averting his gaze to anything else he could. 

''That better?'' he questioned finally looking at you with slight blush in his cheeks. 

''Much better, thank you'' you gave him a reassuring smile. 

''Do you mind if I?'' he asked as he began to unbutton his wet shirt. 

''No....not at all'' it was your turn to get flustered. You looked away as Arthur unbuttoned his shirt and threw it into your pile of wet clothes on the floor. ''What's the plan for tomorrow?'' you asked trying to ease the awkwardness. 

''Well, we should probably get up at first light. There is a stream nearby where I've seen elk drinking'' he sat down next to you and you turned to look at him. His torso was fully exposed but he had managed to change into dry trousers. You couldn't help but scan his body. He was incredibly toned with all the work he had done over the years. His chest and shoulders were broad and moving with each breath he took. There was a small layer of hair that caressed his chest and trailed down into his trousers. The blood began to rush to your cheeks as you had to remind yourself not to stare. ''I reckon we get a good days worth of huntin' in and it'll feed the camp for a while. Plus it will keep Pearson happy. He's been pesterin' me recently'' you looked back at Arthurs face who luckily didn't catch you staring at his body. 

''Sounds good to me'' you nodded in reply as you laid down in your bedroll. You've always been able to appreciate a good looking man but Arthur was different he was your friend so why did you have this warm feeling in your chest as you were laid beside him. The feeling and smell of his shirt on your skin made you tingle slightly. He laid down next to you and you had never felt more safe. You both had a blanket each and you pulled yours over yourself to get even warmer. 

''I'm gonna get some sleep, you should too'' he whispered and after that sleep took over you quickly. You woke up a couple of hours later to find that you were in Arthur's arms with your head laid on his chest. Both your legs were interlocked in one another's and you daren't move. You had no idea how you got yourself in this position. The only thing you could think of is that you both got cold and were seeking heat. Slight panic surged through your body as there was no escaping this without waking Arthur up and you didn't want to make things awkward between you two. You debated your options for a minute before deciding the best thing to do was to stay put and hope you move in your sleep again. Besides, Arthur was so warm and you could feel his heart beating steadily through his chest. You had never been in a mans arms like this and it felt so comfortable. His skin was warm and soft to touch, you could feel his tight grip around you pressing you against him. Maybe for one night you could allow yourself a mans warmth. You didn't feel uncomfortable or afraid but quite the opposite. After all it was only Arthur, right? You tilted your head up slightly to look as his face. He looked peaceful as he slept and you felt a weird sensation in the pit of your stomach. You soon fell back into a deep sleep whilst listening to Arthur breathing. 

You woke up to the smell of smoke and felt extremely cold. Sitting up from your bedroll you noticed Arthur was gone. Panic started setting in until you looked out of the tent to find that he was awake and had built a fire. You breathed a sigh of relief as you pulled on your still damp trousers and went to join him by the fire. 

''G'mornin'.'' you shyly spoke as you approached him. 

''Mornin'. Sleep ok?'' he asked and you suddenly panic again. Did he wake up with you cuddling into him and find it awkward. 

''Yes, slept right through the night'' you lied as you didn't want Arthur thinking you cuddled into him on purpose. 

''That's good then'' he smirked. He handed you a cup of coffee which you drank as Arthur started taking down the tent. You watched as Arthur packed everything into his saddle bags before turning to you. ''You ready m'lady?'' that warm feeling came back into your chest when he called you that and you smiled at him as you gathered the last of your things. What was this weird feeling? You were so confused by it. Arthur called all of the girls in camp 'M'lady' so you knew it wasn't anything special. You brushed it off once more as you mounted Dallas and followed Arthur towards the stream. Talking was kept to a minimum whist you were hunting to not scare away the animals. There was a herd of elk at the stream and Arthur got his bow and arrows at the ready. 

''You wanna try?'' he gestured for you to take the bow. 

''I ain't ever used one before. I just used a pistle before'' you admitted before shrugging him off. 

''Here, I'll teach you'' he handed you the bow and you took it shyly but nodded for his help. You stood up and Arthur stood directly behind you. "You put the arrow here and pull back with these fingers" he instructed. 

Slowly, you began to pull the string back. Arthur guided both of your hands and you could feel his chest on your back. His hands grazed both of yours as you handled the bow and you could feel his breath on your neck. Normally you would flinch away from him as you had when other men had come too close to you but you trusted Arthur. Something about him was comforting you and you weren't scared of him. 

''Pull just a little tighter. Aim for the neck or head'' he whispered. The hairs on your neck stood up as he wispered directly into your ear. You took a long deep breath and released the arrow. The arrow hit the neck of the elk you were aiming for and it went down. You smiled in shock that you had managed to hit it on your first attempt. 

''Nice shootin''' Arthur was still stood directly behind you looking at the elk you had just hunted. 

''I had a good teacher'' you turned to smirk at him. He took a step back from you and you suddenly missed the contact you just had. You took a deep breath before going to collect your hunt. The day went by quickly and successfully. You managed to get two elk, five rabbits and some grouse between the both of you. Sometimes your archery was a little shaky but you only needed to practise it some more. You even snapped an arrow in frustration as you missed your target on the tenth attempt. 

''You'll get the hang of it'' Arthur chuckled as you began to head back to camp. ''Just means you don't scare other animals nearby by using a gun''. 

''That damn rabbit was just too quick for me'' you scowled looking back to where you had missed it. 

It was beginning to get dark again when you reached camp. You were still wearing Arthur's shirt so you quickly got changed before sitting with everyone round the fire. It was something that you knew would get questioned if you were noticed wearing it and you didn't have the energy to defend yourself tonight. You sat between Arthur and Hosea whilst tucking into a bowl of stew. 

''I'll wash your shirt and give you it back tomorrow'' you spoke to Arthur in a hushed tone. ''Thank you for lettin' me borrow it''. 

''It's alright, thank you for your company (Y/N)'' he smiled whilst looking directly into your eyes. You could feel your heart slam against your chest as he said your name. 

''How'd you get on today, my girl'' Hosea nudged you and you had to compose yourself. You turned to Hosea but your cheeks had gone bright red and you could tell he had noticed. 

''It went well'' you finally managed to get out the words. ''Arthur taught me how to use a bow so we managed to get a few good pieces of meat'' you fought so hard to slow your heart and take your mind away from Arthur but something was stopping you. 

''Successful trip then. You make quite a team'' Hosea teased you with a knowing grin. 

You quickly looked around the campfire for any chance to leave. Karen was drunk and stumbling so you grabbed her before excusing yourself. You walked her back to her tent and put her in her bedroll before leaving her to sleep. When you got to your tent your mind was whirling. What the hell was this feeling and why did it make you feel so strange. You sat on your bed with your head in your hands. It was almost a sicky feeling but not through fear but excitement and happiness. The only time you had this feeling was around Arthur. He made you feel warm, safe, excited and comfortable. Oh no. It couldn't be could it. You pictured his face and the way he looks at you, the way he makes you feel. Were you sweet on Arthur? Is this what it felt like? You shook your head to try and rid the thought of it but you couldn't brush it off. The sound of your heart beating in your chest was deafing. You were sweet on Arthur. How could this have happened? You had never felt like this before and you had always been good at controling your emotions. This was something you would have to get over because there was no chance that he would feel the same. Was there?   



	6. 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reader has to play dress up for a job which ends up not going to plan.

It can't be, It just can't. How could this have happened? You never had feelings for someone before yet here you were. There was nothing you could have done because it's not like these feelings crept up on you, they hit you like a train. All at once with no warning. You were laid in your tent looking up to the canvas. Sleeping wasn't an easy task as your mind was too full to relax. The morning light had started to creep through your tent but you just laid there trying to conserve as much energy as you possibly could. You knew the longer you laid in bed made it more likely someone would come and get you. So you decided to finally pull yourself up and change into your clothes. You scraped your hair into a braid before pulling your boots on. As you left your tent the morning air hit you and you could see no one else was awake. It must have been a lot earlier then you had thought. For once you were looking forward to doing your chores, they may help in taking your mind off things. You poured yourself a coffee and sat on a log staring at the flames as they rose. It wasn't too long before you heard Pearson make his way over to his cart to begin his day cooking. 

''You got some nice catches the other day girlie'' He shouted over to you. ''Nice bits of meat like this will feed us for a week'' he smirked as he began to cut up pieces of game. You just smiled in his direction and turned back to your coffee. You were soon joined by Tilly, Abigail and Jack as they had their morning breakfast. 

''You alright (Y/N)?'' Jack asked you quietly as he took a bite from a bread roll. 

''I'm alright Jack, how've you been?'' you smiled down at him. You couldn't help but feel joy whenever Jack was around. He was so innocent and sweet that you forgot that you were all outlaws on the run. 

''I'm good. Mamma said to ask you if I can help with the horses today?'' he looked at Abigail who gave you a nervous smile. 

''I don't see why not'' you turned your attention back to Jack. 

''Thank you (Y/N), I'll go get my coat'' he ran back off to his tent and Abigail shuffled to sit next to you. 

''I was gonna ask, I just didn't get chance before Jack'' she sighed. ''I just need a day, just one day'' 

''It's fine, honestly'' you cut her short. You could tell that raising a child in this environment was hard. ''He can help me feed and brush the horses down'' you smiled at Abigail in a reassuring way. 

''Thank you (Y/N)'' she smiled back at you before Jack returned. 

''Come on then. You can help me feed them first'' you stood from the log and gestured for Jack to follow you to the horses. He followed close behind you and you showed him exactly what to do. You made sure he had the easier jobs that didn't include any heavy lifting. A smile beamed from his face as he was setting out small piles of hay for the horses. You couldn't help but smile at the effort he put into it and you could tell he took a shine to Dallas. The jobs took a little longer than they normally would but you didn't mind, it was a welcomed distraction. You grabbed a grooming brush and passed it to Jack before standing him on a crate next to Dallas. 

''There you go. You can reach his neck and back now'' you stood next to him as you both brushed the black stallion. 

''Can I ride him?'' Jack asked as he was in awe. 

''Would your mum be alright with it?'' you asked, giving him a cheeky smile. You quickly looked to see if Abigail was watching but you couldn't see her. With one motion you lifted Jack onto Dallas' bare back. ''Hold on tight'' you smiled up at him as you unhitched Dallas and led him at a walk around the outskirts of camp. You only walked slowly so that Jack didn't become unbalanced without a saddle. 

''Whoa, look at me'' he shouted as you walked through the woods. Jack patted Dallas on the neck and his smile was bright as he was giggling at every movement. 

''You will be able to ride him by yourself one day'' you smiled up at Jack which only made him more thrilled. John was standing at the hitching post as you finished your walk. You felt slight dread as you approached him, you were unsure if Jack was allowed to ride bareback. 

''Look at you Kid'' John smiled at you both and the dread left your body. 

''We went all the way around the camp'' Jack beamed as John helped him down from Dallas. You hitched him up before turning to John. 

''Jacks been a great helper this mornin''' you patted him on the shoulder before he ran back into camp to tell everyone about his ride. ''Sorry I didn't ask first'' you looked at John innocently. 

''What to ride? Don't worry about it'' he chuckled. ''Your good with him, been round kids much?'' John followed you as you went to check the other horses. 

''No, not really'' you smirked. ''I had no siblings''. 

''Ahh, me neither'' he leaned up against the hitching post as you brushed down Dutch's white Arabian. ''You are better with him then I am anyway'' John looked down at his feet. You stopped what you were doing and turned to look at him. He looked visibly upset as he spoke about Jack. 

''That's not true. I've seen you with him and your great'' you paused as you waited for John's reaction. 

''I'm not cut out at being a father. Not yet anyways'' John sighed. ''He's a good kid but I think I've left it too late''. 

''It's never too late John, trust me'' you managed to catch his eye before smiling at him. ''Why don't you do something with him today? I think Abigail needs a day off'' you giggled and he smiled weakly at you. 

''Your right. As always. Is there anything you can't do (Y/N)?'' John began to chuckle. 

''I can't cook'' you giggled as you turned back to the horse. Charles approached you both as you began to brush The Count again. Charles helped with the last of your chores and John got roped into helping too so you managed to finish in the early afternoon. 

''You hungry?'' Charles asked you as you finished brushing down the last horse. 

''Starvin'.'' You were quick to reply. The three of you walked back into camp and grabbed some bread and stew from Pearson before sitting around the fire. The rest of the girls joined you as you ate. 

''I heard about a job'' Karen blurted out. ''It's a good one'' she seemed so excited as she spoke. 

''What is it?'' John questioned before he took a mouthful of stew. 

''There's a rich fella staying in Valentine. Bit of a ladies man but damn he's rich'' she giggled. ''I seen him in the saloon drinking and I think if we get him drunk enough it will be an easy steal''. 

''Alright?'' Charles questioned missing whatever point Karen was trying to get too. 

''Well there is a problem you see....us girls have already tried but he ain't interested in us'' she sighed. ''Stupid fool. But....I know one girl who could handle herself who ain't tried yet'' she glanced at you and gave you a wink. Suddenly all the attention was on you. 

''What?'' you exclaimed. ''Have you seen me....if he ain't interested in you there is no way...'' 

''We will make you look irresistible'' Tilly cut you off. 

''You can borrow one of my best dress' and we will do your hair all pretty'' Mary-Beth added. You could see John and Charles giggling in the corner of your eye and you gave them an irritated stare. 

''I'm not as good at flirtin' as you'' you were trying to think of any excuse to get out of it. 

''Don't give me that'' Karen shrugged your comment off. She stood up and held out her hand to you, there was no getting out of this. You looked for help from John or Charles but they didn't come to your rescue. There were no more excuses so you grabbed Karen's hand and she dragged you to her tent. 

You sat while Mary-Beth tugged at your knotted hair. Each stroke of the brush felt like she was ripping part of your scalp off. Tilly was busy trying to find a suitable dress that would suit you the best and Karen was applying powder to your cheeks. Sadie and Abigail were sitting in the corner giggling at your unamused face. 

''You will look stunning when we are done with you (Y/N)'' Tilly smiled at you. 

''That's right. No man will be able to resist you'' Karen winked at you. ''Not that you care about that'' 

''What does that mean?'' Mary-Beth asked. 

''(Y/N) ain't sweet on anyone'' Karen looked up to Mary-Beth and giggled. 

''Really?'' Mary-Beth pulled on another knot in your hair. You winced and tried to ignore the conversation because you knew that wasn't quite true anymore. 

''Well it's probably a good job. I mean.....John has Abigail drooling over him'' Karen glanced at Abigail ignoring the angry look she received. ''Javier is a flirt, Lenny is too young for her, Bill is dumb, Charles is just a 'friend', Kieran is only interested in his horse'' Karen giggled ''and Arthur is Arthur''. You furrowed your brow at this comment. 

''What do you mean?'' you asked curiously. 

''Arthur has never been sweet on anyone in camp but I'm pretty sure each of us have been sweet on him at some point'' she sighed. 

''You have all been sweet on him?'' you scanned the room for the girls reaction and they all nodded except Sadie. 

''It's hard to not be. He is a mystery and so manly'' Tilly smiled. ''There is something exciting about that''. 

''Yes, but he's never reciprocated the feelings'' Abigail interjected before Tilly got carried away. Your heart sunk slightly as you thought about how stupid you were, you had let your feelings take control. Arthur wasn't interested in anyone and you were just setting yourself up for disappointment. The girls worked on you for a couple of hours until you were pristeen. Tilly had picked out a dark blue dress which complemented your features well. They all helped you squeeze into the corset before finally climbing into the dress. Your hair was knott free and hanging down past your shoulders and your makeup made you look blemish free. 

''You look beautiful'' Abigail smiled at you as you stood ready to go show the camp the girls' hard work. You struggled to take a deep breath before leaving the tent, the corset clung to your ribs not allowing for much movement. The sun was beginning to set as you stepped out of the tent and made your way over to the rest of camp. Everyone was gathered round the campfire as you gingerly strode over them. 

''Introducing the woman who is going to steal the heart and possessions of the richest man passing through Valentine'' Karen gestured for you to stand in front of everyone. You approached slowly as the girls moved to one side. The redness in your cheeks was hidden by the makeup but you could feel your temperature rise with embarrassment as you stood with everyone gawking at you. 

''Wow (Y/N)'' Hosea looked up at you. ''You look incredible my girl'' he smiled at you as you looked at him before looking around to see the others reaction. They all sat there in shock at how you looked. Javier stood up and took your hand in his before pressing his lips to the back of it. 

''Stunning'' He said after laying a kiss on your hand. You chuckled as he did this, the last thing you expected was this reaction. Suddenly you felt confident in the way you looked and you stood up taller and even did a little twirl. 

''What's everyone lookin' at?'' you heard his voice from behind you and suddenly the nerves creeped back up. Taking a breath you turned round to see Arthur and his eyes landed on you too. His eyes widened and his jaw dropped slightly as he looked at you all dressed up. You managed a shy smile but your heart was racing and you could feel that sickness in your stomach as he approached you slowly. He stopped right in front of you as he scanned you up and down, it was the first time you had seen him all day. For a minute you forgot everyone else was there. They had all turned there attention away from you now anyway. ''Hello beautiful'' he finally whispered to you as you looked up into his eyes. You felt breathless as he looked at you the way he was. Everything in your body was telling you to wrap your arms around him and not let him go but you pushed them to one side. 

''Hello Arthur'' you managed to reply with a shy smile. 

''What's the occasion?'' he asked not breaking eye contact with you. You could feel the heat from his body as he stood so close to you. 

''(Y/N) is going to seduce a rich fella in Valentine so we can rob him blind'' Karen interrupted the moment. Arthur's face suddenly went stern and he backed away from you. 

''Who's goin'?'' he turned to Karen with slight irritation in his voice. 

''Well me, (Y/N) and I don't know.....Bill?'' she gestured to Bill who was already downing a bottle of whiskey. 

''Bill? You seriously haven't thought this through 'av ya?'' Arthur sighed. ''I'll go. Let me just get ready'' he turned to his tent to grab some things whilst you and Karen made your way over to the wagon. John helped you both in and past you a pistol that you tucked into one of the folds of your dress. 

''Damn (Y/N)'' he shook his head. ''You look amazing. Make sure he knows where to keep his hands or he'll lose em'' John smiled at you. Arthur was quick and mounted into the driver's seat and with that you were on your way to Valentine. 

''So the plan is to get him drunk'' Karen started talking to you. ''He needs to think that you are going to sleep with him. When he is drunk enough you go to his room, wait for him to pass out and take everything worth taking'' she giggled. 

''What if he don't pass out?'' Arthur asked and turned to give Karen a quick glance. ''Then what?'' 

''Well I guess (Y/N) will have to sleep with him'' Karent winked. You were about to protest but you were too slow. Arthur had already stopped the cart and turned to the both of you. 

''That ain't happenin'.'' His tone was stern as he pointed at Karen. 

''I was jokin' Arthur. Calm down, you almost sound jealous'' Karen teased. ''She can hit him over the head with her pistol'' Arthur sighed, still not fully satisfied with Karen's answer but started the wagon moving again. You arrived at Valentine a couple of minutes later and you could hear the music and loud conversations coming from inside the saloon. Karen went ahead to check that the man was definitely in the saloon before you all went in. Arthur came to the back of the wagon to help you down. He put his hands around your waist and slowly lowered you until your feet hit the floor but he didn't remove his hands straight away. You looked up to see concern on his face and he took a deep breath before releasing his grip on you. 

''I don't like this'' he muttered before Karen came running over. 

''Show time'' she grinned before linking her arm through yours. ''We will go in first Arthur, we don't want him thinkin' you came with us'' she pulled you away. You glanced back at Arthur who clenched his jaw while holding back allowing you to go in first. 

The music and smell of beer hit you as you walked into the warm saloon. There were a lot of people there singing, danicing and getting drunk. You seemed to attract the attention from a lot of men as you and Karen made your way over to the bar. The bartender passed you both a shot of whiskey each. 

''That's him over there, with the red coat and mustache'' Karen glanced in the man's direction. ''Seems like he's already noticed you'' she giggled. You took your shot as quickly as you could before ordering another. If you were going to do this you needed something to get rid of the nerves. You were so used to pick pocketing or house robberies but this was something you had never done. Getting a man's attention wasn't the hard thing it was playing them so they don't suspect a thing. You grabbed your drink and walked over to an empty table and sat down slowly eyeing up your target. He had many women sitting around him at his table but his attention was on you, never breaking eye contact. You could tell he was an attractive young man and his attitude showed that he knew it too. Arthur walked into the saloon, you watched as he searched for you and caught your eye before making his own way to the bar. You turned your attention back to the target and you saw he was already making his way over to you. 

''I don't believe we have met'' he held his hand out to you and you took it. ''Simon Clark'' he gently kissed the back of your hand. 

''Bethany Hope'' you made up a name and introduced yourself. 

''Mind if I join you?'' he asked and you nodded before he took a seat next to you. You glanced at the bar to see Karen and Arthur watching you and you felt a sense of relief that you had them watching out for you. ''How come I have never seen you before?'' 

''Maybe you weren't looking hard enough'' you teased him. 

''You are not someone I would overlook'' he looked you up and down and you felt exposed. ''Drink?'' 

''How about we share a bottle?'' you smiled curiously at him. He nodded and headed to the bar to get a bottle of whiskey. You took a deep breath and looked at Arthur. He didn't take his eyes off you for a second as he clutched at his own drink. 

''Here you go'' Simon poured you a shot and took his seat again. You tapped your glasses together before taking your drinks. Simon liked to speak about himself, which made things easier. You pretended to be interested in his stories while you kept on pouring drink after drink for him. He never once questioned that you were not drinking but it was probably because he didn't care. Simon was so engulfed in talking that he hadn't realised he had finished the bottle by himself. His words had started to slur and he clung to the table to stop from falling off his chair. ''Will you accompany me to my room?'' he slurred as his hand laid on your leg and started to make its way up your thigh. You had to resist the urge to brush his hand away. Having a strange man touch you intimately brought back bad memories but you tried to shut them out. 

''After another drink'' you stood up removing his hand before collecting another drink from the bar. As the barman handed you another two shots of whiskey you quickly glanced at Arthur and gave him a reassuring nod. He gave you a weak smile but you could tell he wasn't enjoying this. Karen was currently flirting with another guy at the back of the room leaving Arthur by himself. You thanked the barman before heading back to Simon who now had his forehead pressed against the table. "Here" you passed him the whiskey as you drank the other. The liquor was strong and made your eyes water slightly. He downed the drink before stumbling to his feet. 

"Follow me sweetheart" Simon whispered in your ear. The smell of alcohol on his breath was overwhelming but you took his hand and followed him to the door. Arthur watched from the bar as you made your way to the door not letting you out of his sight. 

"I'm in the hotel across the street over there. Got a very comfy bed for us to sleep in" Simon's words were slurred as he almost fell out of the saloon. You couldn't help but feel sorry for the women that fall for men like this. The cold night air hit you hard as you followed him outside and down the stairs. You started to make your way to the hotel when he dragged you down a little ally between two buildings. 

"This doesn't look like a hotel" you rolled your eyes as Simon pressed you to the wall. He was pressing his body into yours to keep himself from falling over. You took the opportunity to pick pocket him while he whispered sweet words into your ear. "oh, yeah, ahuh sounds good" you muttered not listening to what he was actually talking about. You had managed to take his watch, what money he had left on him and the key to his room, stuffing them down your dress. Simon then grabbed your wrists and pinned them to the wall above your head. His head went to your neck and left a kiss. Suddenly the touch from this man sent panic surging through your body. It felt too much like when men had taken advantage of you before. Your knee came up and struck him in his manhood. Simon quickly fell to his knees cluching his groin. 

"You slut" he screamed at you as he clambered to his feet. Simon's face was now red with rage as he raised his hand to hit you. You were about to swing for him and defend yourself when he was dragged backwards away from you. Arthur had him pinned against the wall by his throat. You took a deep breath of relief while cursing at the corset restricting your movement. Where did he come from? You didn't even notice that Arthur had followed you. 

"That ain't any way to treat a lady" he quickly punched Simon in the face and blood spurted from his nose. "Now you made the mistake of touching this lady in particular" he struck him again. A small whine came from Simon's mouth. His nose was visibly broken and blood was dripping from his face. "No one touches her. No one, you hear" Arthur was angry. You had heard Arthur shout a lot but this was different. He was red with rage and there was no stopping it so you stayed back and watched. Simon nodded and Arthur punched him one last time. You heard a crunch as he dropped to the floor. Simon was out cold. 

"You alright?" Arthur turned around to face you. He scanned you up and down to make sure Simon hadn't hurt you in any way with a look of slight panic in his eye. 

"I'm fine. You didn't have to do that ya know" you looked down at Simon as he laid face down on the floor. "I had it under control" you began to walk out of the ally when Arthur grabbed you, pulled you back and pushed you against the wall. You hadn't noticed the people that rushed into the street when they heard a commotion. It was a good idea that you don't get caught with Simon knocked out or the law would be quickly on your case. Arthur's strong arms were keeping you pinned to the wall and his body was close to yours. Your heart began to beat loudly as you could feel him so close to you. The both of you stayed extremely quiet as the people on the street tried to find where the noise was coming from. Although you had been in this situation only minutes before it felt completely different with Arthur. You didn't want him to move away from you, you weren't scared of him. The sickness in the pit of your stomach came back as you looked up to catch Arthur's gaze. His lips were only inches away from yours and you could feel your temperature rising with every second you stood there. 

"Damn it Ben, you must be hearin' things" a man called out as they made there way back into the saloon. Arthur peered around the corner to check it was clear before backing away from you. There it was again. The instant coldness you felt when Arthur wasn't as close to you anymore. You took a deep breath as you pushed yourself off the wall. 

"Sorry" Arthur muttered as you left the ally. "For pushing you like that" he added before making his way to the wagon. 

"It's alright" your voice cracked slightly. "Where you goin'?" Arthur turned round and cocked and eyebrow at you. "I have his room key, don't ya wanna see what he has in there?" you gestured to the hotel. Arthur nodded and you lead the way into the hotel and up to Simon's room. You looted the whole room and you made close to $1,000 in money, jewels and deeds. 

"Least it was worth it" you smirked as you searched through the last draw. 

"You might think so" Arthur snapped back at you. His tone was dry and irritated. You stood up and faced him as he counted the stack of money he had found. Anger rushed over you and before you could stop yourself you snapped back at him. 

"I didn't ask for your help Arthur. He could barely stand up and I had control of the situation" you shouted at him. He was acting as if you weren't able to do the job by yourself. You had spent months by yourself and never had a problem so it irritated you that Arthur had felt the need to step in. 

"Oh really? Because from where I'm standin' he had you pinned against a wall. Kissin' your neck and was about to hit ya" Arthur's voice drowned yours out. "Didn't look in control to me". 

"I can defend myself. Don't need you to fight my battles for me" everything inside you wanted to scream at him. "It was my job and I was doing just fine untill you intervened". 

"I know you can defend yourself (Y/N). I know that better then anyone cause I've seen it but do you think I'm just gonna stand there and watch him touch you like that?" Arthur marched across the room to stand directly in front of you. He towered above you, just like he had the first time you had gone hunting. Making you feel small and helpless. His body was so close to yours that you could feel the heat radiating from him again. You both stood there tense and unmoving. "Do you know how hard it was for me to watch him with you all night?" his voice was hushed now but still assertive. His brow was furrowed as he looked deep into your eyes waiting for your response. 

"Why would you even care?" the words came out of your mouth uncontrollably. You were not intimidated by Arthur. Not anymore, not after everything you had been through. You didn't back away from him like you had before. His eyes widened at your comment but he was quick to reply. 

"Because I do care about you (Y/N). A lot more then I should" Arthur sighed before continuing. "I know you can fight your own battles, I know that. But seeing him touch you made me so damn angry that I needed to....well ya know. You don't have to fight alone anymore. I'm here to back you up and I'm sorry it came across that I don't believe in ya" he spoke softly as he placed his hand on your shoulder and scanned your face. You were taken aback by his comments. He wasn't trying to fight for you, but with you. Sudden guilt flooded your body for getting angry with him. 

"Thank you" you stared up at him. "I'm sorry, I just ain't used to people helpin'. I'd been on my own so long I guess I just learnt to fend for myself. I thought you didn't think I was capable of fighting and I got angry" your voice was hushed and slightly cracking. The last person you wanted to argue with was Arthur. You felt all the anger drain from your body which left you feeling deflated. With one motion Arthur pulled you towards him and embraced you. He wrapped his arms around your shoulders and pulled you into his chest. You were shocked at first but accepted the hug by clutching at his shirt. He was warm and smelt of cigarettes and whiskey. You could hear his heart beating in his chest and the feeling of being safe in his arms was enough to make your heart race. 

"Your not alone now" Arthur squeezed you tighter as he said this, his voice was almost a whisper. You closed your eyes and nuzzled into his chest to prevent him from seeing your rosie cheeks. The warm feeling in your chest spread throught your body and you wished that you didn't ever have to let go of him. You felt him place a light kiss on your head before he pulled away from you. "Come on, we should get Karen and go back to camp" he gave you a tender smile as he walked across the room and opened the door before gesturing for you to walk through. You slowly walked out of the hotel and back into the street with Arthur following closely behind. Karen was waiting for you at the wagon ready to go. 

"How'd it go? Get much from him?" She giggled as Arthur lifted you both into the wagon. 

"Yeah, it was worth all the effort" you passed her share to her. 

"Told ya it would be a good job" she nudged your arm. "You have a good night Arthur?". He hummed in reply as you left valentine. Karen told you both about her night the whole ride back to camp. She had managed to pick pocket a couple of men and showed you what she had grabbed. Your mind was far away from the convocation as you watched Arthur drive the wagon. You wondered what he meant when he said he cared for you more than he should. He cared about you and that was the only thing that mattered, it made you feel warm inside. You cared about him too, a lot, but there was no way he would care for you the same way you cared for him. It didn't matter to you right at this moment, you were just greatful to have him as a friend. It wasn't a long journey back to camp and when you got back most of the camp were already sleeping. Karen jumped down from the wagon and went straight to her tent to sleep off the alcohol she had consumed. You would have followed but the corset was too restrictive and you could barely move. Arthur came to help you down for the last time tonight. 

"I don't know how women wear these damn things" you cursed as your feet touched the floor. Arthur chuckled at you struggling to move. 

"I don't know much about that but you look....ermm....you look beautiful tonight" Arthur managed a complement before looking down at his feet and scratching the back of his neck. 

"Thank you Arthur" you blushed. "I'm gonna go get outta this thing though, g'night Arthur and thank you again for everything" you smiled sweetly at him whilst trying to brush off your nerves. 

"G'night (Y/N)" he tipped his hat and smiled sweetly at you before going to untie the horses from the wagon. You wanted to stay and talk to him all night but your eyes were becoming heavy so you walked away and went straight to Mrs Grimshaw. 

"Can you help me outta this?" you smirked as you gestured to your corset. She shook her head before giggling at your incompetence.


	7. 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reader is coming to terms with her feelings towards Arthur but when she stumbles across him and Mary things may take a turn.

Your ribs and feet were sore when you woke up. The corset and high heeled boots that you wore the night before had taken there toll on your body and you were paying for it. As you sit up in your cot and take a deep breath you could feel how tight your chest was. You couldn't understand how some women wore those sorts of clothing everyday. Previously, you had worn that atire for special occasions only. Mostly when your father had sold a prize horse. You pulled on your shirt, trousers and boots before making your way over to Pearson for breakfast. Every step ached as you limped towards the food wagon. 

"Rough night by the looks of things (N/Y)" Pearson chuckled gruffly as you made your way over to him. 

"Wasn't so bad" you glared at him. "Not in a hurry to do it again though" you grabbed some jam covered bread before taking a seat next to the fire. Kieran, Javier and Charles were already sat eating before you joined them. 

"Back to your normal self this morning" Javier looked at you up and down. 

"Don't sound too disappointed Javier" you teased as you took your seat. 

"Not at all. Although it was a sight to behold when you were all dressed up" he smiled sweetly at you. 

"She looks just as good everyday Javier" a familiar voice came from behind you. You turned to see John approaching you with his food. He took a seat next to you. "How you feelin'?" 

"I'm alright. In pain from that damn corset" you winced as you took a deep breath in. 

"Want me to help you with the horses this mornin'?" John asked as he saw your discomfort. 

"I'll help her" Kerian's voice cracked as he spoke. He still was very unsure of himself in the camp. 

"Thank you Kieran" you smiled at him approvingly. John looked slightly disappointed at this. He would do anything to keep busy and out of Abigail's way at the moment but it was only a matter of time until he had to face her. With that you and Keiran made your way over to the horses. Keiran wasn't very talkative, I guess that's why he enjoyed being round the horses so much. You and him had that in common. The both of you fed and made sure the horses were all okay before brushing down the few that needed it. You liked watching the rest of the camp from the hitching posts. From there you could see everyone getting on with their day. Sadie ended up helping you as well. She was getting tired of Mrs Grimshaw constantly telling her what to do. 

"I see why you both like tending to the horses now" she giggled. "No one bothers you here". 

"Shh. Don't give away our secret" you all laughed as you watched the rest of camp busy doing chores. Everyone was there. Everyone, accept the one person you wanted to see. Arthur must have left early morning because he was gone when you woke up. 

"Anyone seen Arthur this mornin'?" you asked descretly. 

"Nah, I heard somethin' about him goin' unto town because of a letter he got" Keiran spoke softly as he was brushing his mare. 

"A letter? From who?" you were intreaged. 

"Who cares?" Sadie giggled. "Oh great, don't look now" she rolled her eyes as you glanced to see Mrs Grimshaw heading over to you. She marched over with a huge sense of urgency and you knew that one of you three were going to be ordered to do a job. You sighed hoping that you weren't the dreaded suspect that she was going to target. 

"Miss (Y/N)" Mrs Grimshaw was now stood Infront of you. "I need you to go into valentine and post a letter" her voice was stern. You had a lot of respect for Mrs Grimshaw. Last night she had been so warm and caring when you were stuck in your corset. Very much like a mother figure when you were alone with her. However, once in a group setting she was very much the higher power of you ladies. She wasn't fooling you though, you knew that she was a big softy on the inside. 

"On my own?" you questioned. 

"I'm sure you are more than capable" she looked at you with a small twinkle in her eye. She was allowing you room to breath. You hadn't been on your own since the day Bill had found you. "I was going to ask Mr Morgan this morning but he took off too quickly. If you see him, tell him to stop milling about" she handed you the pile of letters and turned around without another word. 

"Well I guess we will see you later then" Sadie huffed. "Next time, I go with you" she had wanted to get out of the camp for a while now but never had the opportunity. 

"You got it" you smiled at her before mounting Dallas. You rode out of camp for the first time by yourself. The sun was shining through the trees and then you broke out into the beautiful heartlands. Although you knew Mrs Grimshaw would expect you back quickly you couldn't help but take your time over the journey into town. Breathing in the fresh spring air and feeling every movement Dallas made underneath you. You watched every bit of wildlife around you. Each rabbit that crossed your path and the deer that fled from you. There was a large opening of land just off the path and you couldn't help the urge to gallop around it just to enjoy some feedom. Dallas didn't take much convincing before you were at full speed across the large open stretch. You looked up to the bright blue sky, not a single cloud in sight, as you reached the end of your gallop. Town wasn't too far away so you decided to walk the rest of the way smiling at passers by. Once you reached Valentine you didn't head straight to the post office but went to the main street. You decided while you were here you might as well do what you were best at. Pick pocketing. No one ever suspected the innocent young lady. It only took you half an hour before you managed to steal 2 pocket watches, 4 packets of cigarettes, $40 and a silver ring. You knew your luck would run out if you carried on too much longer so you slowly made your way to the post office where you had hitched Dallas. The post office was quiet when you walked in. There were three men stood talking and a young woman sat in the corner. You couldn't help but feel like you had seen the woman before. She was beautiful and clearly a formal lady but you couldn't quite put your finger on where you knew her from. 

"Can I help you Miss?" the clerk grasped your attention away from the woman. 

"Yes, sorry" you flustered. "I need to post a couple things" you handed the clerk the envelopes. 

"Not a problem, this will take a minute. What's your name Miss?" he asked politely 

"(Y/N)" you smiled as he turned from you to go over the envelopes. You stood waiting for the clerk and you heard some people walking in. 

"Jamie, Jamie" you heard the woman, who was sat in the corner, call. You didn't think anything of it and kept your attention on the clerk who was busy sorting the paperwork. "Oh, Arthur" you heard the woman speak softly, intimately. Your heart stopped for a moment. It couldn't be could it? Many men were called Arthur, but then it hit you. Of course you recognised the woman, it was the woman from Arthur's photo. Mary. The woman he had fallen for and almost left the gang for. You felt as though your heart had sunk into your chest and been blown into smithereens. Glancing over your shoulder you saw him. There he was, the man you had fallen for with the woman that had his heart. You panic and began to head straight for the door keeping your head low to not catch Arthur's attention. 

"Miss (Y/N)?" the clerk called out loudly to you. Damn it, you had forgotten the paper work. You took a shaky breath as you turned back towards him trying to ignore Arthur. From the corner of your eye you saw him turn to face you. Quickly you grabbed the paperwork and almost ran to Dallas. You mounted up as the tears started to stinging your eyes. 

"(Y/N)" Arthur had run out of the post office after you. But you ignored his calls and rode off without so much as looking at him. Hoping it would look like you hadn't heard him. You rode as hard and fast as you could heading towards camp. The tears had started to run down your cheeks and your lungs felt like they were going to burst. You couldn't catch your breath so you decided to pull up onto the cliff edge and breath. What was wrong with you? Worse things had happened in your life that you hadn't even blinked an eye at. Yet here you were crying over a man who you suspected didn't care as much for you anyway. You couldn't blame him, she was so beautiful. She was sifisticated and ladylike, the complete opposite of you. Mary must be a breath of fresh air for him, she had nothing to do with the outlaw life he lives. You on the other hand were as much an outlaw as he was. Everything hurt all at once and you couldn't tell if it was from the corset last night or the overwhelming feeling that your heart had just broken. You told yourself many times that you didn't need a man, you never have, so why are you crying. It's because it wasn't just a man, it was Arthur. He was not like any other man you had ever known. You had fallen for him and now you were left feeling empty. Composing yourself took some time but you took a deep breath, wiped the tears from your face and continued your ride back to camp. You hitched Dallas up and buried your face into his mane. Holding back the tears was becoming difficult but you had better control then this. All you needed to do was keep your head down and no one will disturb you. 

"You were longer then expected" Mrs Grimshaw said from behind you. You didn't want to face her. It was too obvious you were upset and you didn't want to show weakness. 

"Sorry Mrs Grimshaw. The post office was busy" you lied keeping your back facing her. 

"No trouble then?" she pressed. 

"No" you closed your eyes tightly to stop the tears from falling down your face. 

"Good and thank you Miss (Y/N)" you heard her walking away from you and you sighed. At first you didn't go back into the camp but you stayed with Dallas taking your time over grooming him. You didn't want anyone to suspect that you were upset. The last thing you needed was anyone pestering you, especially the girls. When you felt you were ready you made your way to your tent, hoping no one would bother you there either. All you needed was a bit of time and some space. You laid on your cot, the tears in your eyes had all dried up and the feeling you had only moments before had gone leaving you numb. Looking around your tent you spotted Arthur's shirt on your chest. The one he had lent to you when you went hunting. Feelings started to flood back when you thought back to that night. The way he held you while you were both sleeping. 

"Can I come in?" you heard a voice outside your tent which brought you back out of your thoughts. 

"Yes, come on in" you replied sitting up in your cot. Javier and Bill both walked in. Suddenly your tent felt very small when these two big men were both crowded inside. "You alright?" you asked confused to why these two would come to talk to you. Although you got on with everyone in camp there were a few that you very rarely spoke too unless in a group situation. Bill was definitely one of them. Javier you had spoken too on a couple of occasions but you wouldn't consider him a close friend. 

"We have a job, a stagecoach and wondered if you would come with us?" Javier asked politely. 

"Why me?" you were still confused. John and Charles were both in camp. Why didn't they ask one of them. 

"We need you to play the stranded lady" Bill's voice was loud and cocky. "Get there attention" you looked at them both before nodding your head. 

"Fine, when we goin'?" you sighed. You weren't in the mood to do anything. However, you knew it would take your mind off things. 

"Now" Javier smiled at you. "We'll meet you by the horses" they both scrambled out of your tent. You dragged yourself off your cott and changed from your trousers to a long black skirt that Karen had given you. If you were going to play the part of a stranded lady you might as well look like one too. Another deep sight left your lips before making your way back to the horses. 

"You sure your alright?" Javier asked as you rode together. He seemed slightly concerned with how quiet you were being 

"I'm alright, just been a long day" you smiled weakly at him. 

"You up for this girl?" Bill growled from in front of you. 

"Of course I am" you bite back. Javier giggled before pointing to where the stagecoach will be coming from. 

"(Y/N), you stand by the side of the road there and get their attention, once they have stopped we will give you a minute to get the driver down from wagon. Once he's down pull your gun on him and we will take care of the rest" Javier turned his attention to Bill "we will be just behind this tree line. Alright?" you nod and stand at the side of the road waiting for the stagecoach to arrive. It wasn't long before it was in sight. You started waving your arms and calling out to the driver. 

"Please, help me" you called in your best fake distressed voice. 

"What's the matter ma'am?" the driver stopped the wagon beside you. 

"My horse spooked at some deer and threw me, I think I've twisted my ankle" you looked up at him pleadingly. "Any chance you can take me into town?" you smiled at him. 

"Of course, hop in" he gestured to the seat next to him. 

"Would you mind helping me up? I don't think my ankle will allow me to climb" you flashed him your ankle and lower leg. He didn't take much convincing and was about to get down from the wagon when a gun shot came from where Javier and Bill had taken cover. You turned to see Bill had accidentally fumbled with his gun and a shot had gone off. Javier had run out of the tree line and as you turned back to the driver the butt of his rifle came down and collided with your head. You fell to the floor and you could taste blood in your mouth. The driver wasn't alone, two men had gotten out the back of the wagon with guns firing at Javier and Bill. You grabbed your pistol from your skirt and pulled yourself up managing to find cover behind a boulder. Javier had managed to kill the driver but the two men were still shooting back at all of you. Your vision had started to blur, the impact from the drivers rifle was harder then you first thought. There was a loud ringing in your ear which drowned out the sound of guns being fired. You carried on shooting and managed to gun one of the men down. You sat behind the boulder trying to focus on something but the ground was spinning. Suddenly, there were no more guns being fired. 

"Bill get what you can from the coach" you heard Javier shout. "(Y/N), you alright? (Y/N)? Can ya hear me?" Javier was kneeling down in front of you. You could tell he was shouting and his voice was worried but the ringing noise was so loud. 

"I'm fine" you replied. Everything was dark and blurred as you felt Javier pull you up to your feet. 

"We're gonna get yout back to camp" he picked you up and carried you to the horses. "God damn it Bill, the hell were you doin'?" Javier's voice was angry now. 

"It was a damn accident" Bill spat back. 

"You could 'av gotten her killed" Javier carefully helped you mount Dallas. "We will get ya cleaned up (Y/N)" you clung to the saddle and Javier took Dallas' reins. Your head began to pound and your vision had gone almost black. Every movement you made felt like your brain was being rattled around in your skull. You must have blacked out because you were woken by shouting. 

"Someone get me some help over here" Javier shouted. 

"What the hell happened out there?" you heard John shout as he rushed over. You felt him wrap his arms around you as he helped you down from Dallas. Your legs were shakey as you stood so he picked you up and carried you to your tent. Everything was still blurry but you could make out John's face looking down on you. "You look a mess (Y/N)" he sounded irritated as he put you down on your cot. Mrs Grimshaw marched in with some warm water and rags to clean your face from the blood and mud. 

"Damn idiots" she spat as she cleaned the deep cuts on your head and face. It stung but all you could do was wince. You didn't want to move for fear of the pain in your head. "she's concust and these will need stitches. What the hell happened?" She turned to Javier and Bill. They explained that Bills gun had gone off which alerted the driver. "You fool Mr Williamson" she shouted. That was the last thing you remember before waking up again. Your head felt heavy and your face was sore. The tent was dark but you could see a small light coming from a candle next to your cot. Scanning the room you were pleased to notice your vision had returned almost to normal. That's when your eyes landed on the figure in the corner of your tent. They sat on the ground with there back lent against your chest of belongings. Their arms were folded over their stomach and legs were stretched out in front of them. A hat covered their face as they slept but you knew who it was. You sat up quietly and tucked your hair behind your ear, grazing your freshly stitched cut with your fingertips. Although you were quiet you couldn't help wince at the tender skin. This was enough to wake John from his sleep. He removed his hat and a smile graced his face when he saw you sat up in bed. 

"How you feelin'?" he spoke softly as he came to sit beside you. 

"Sore" you moaned. You couldn't look at him in the eye. Your day had been a nightmare and all you wanted was to be alone. "I'll be alright" you assured him. 

"Yeah I know you will" he smiled. "Just glad to see you awake. I was gettin' worried". You didn't reply. A part of you was hoping that the knock to the head would clear your memories of the day you had but it hadn't. Tears started to sting your eyes again as the pounding of your head became stronger. "Here, have some water" John could clearly tell by your face you were hurting. He must just assume it was because of your head. You took the cup from him and sipped on the water. 

"Thank you John" you managed to smile at him. There was shouting coming from the other side of camp but you weren't able to make out what was being said. "What's going on out there?" you asked John. 

"I have no idea" he looked just as confused as you. He was about to go and take a look when Arthur bust through the tent flaps. His expression was dark with anger and worry as he found you sat on your cot. John stood to one side as Arthur made his way to you. 

"What the hell happened to you?" he crouched down in front of you and scanned your face to look at each cut and bruise. Clearly you looked as bad as you feel because this only seemed to make Arthur more and more angry. 

"It was an accident" you tried to calm him but it was no use. His brow was furrowed and his fists were clenched. 

"You could have been killed (Y/N)" he was shouting but you knew it wasn't directed at you. 

"But I wasn't" you stared into his eyes. "I'm fine" you said softly and reassuringly. He stood up ans turned to John ignoring what you had just said. 

"Where's Bill?" He demanded. "Damn it John, where is he?" he shouted when John didn't respond instantly. 

"On guard" John sighed. "Arthur it's not worth it, she's fine" he gestured at you but it was too late Arthur had stormed out of the tent. Your body reacted before your brain did. Pushing yourself to your feet and running after him. John tried to stop you but you pushed past him. Your head was pounding and you weren't thinking straight but you had to stop Arthur from getting to Bill. You followed him out of camp and into the woods trying your hardest to catch up to him. 

"Arthur please" you shouted after him. It was pitch black without the lights from camp guiding you. "Arthur, god damn it just stop" you screamed at him and he stopped dead in his tracks. "What's the point?" your voice was slightly cracking. Your head was pounding and your mind was racing. He slowly turned towards you. 

"The point is he could 'av gotten you killed because he's a stupid fool" Arthurs voice was stern. "You think I can let somethin' like that go?". 

"I don't see how that's your concern" your heart was racing. Why were the both of you arguing again? If anyone should be mad it was you. Accidents happen all the time and you were lucky that no one was killed. 

"My concern?" Arthur made his way back towards you. "You think I want to see you dead?" he held your gaze with his jaw clenched waiting for your answer. 

"That's not what I meant" you shook your head at him. ''Stop acting like you care so much about me Arthur'' you lowered your voice slightly so that the rest of camp wouldn't be able to hear you. Arthur shook his head at your comment before stepping closer to you. 

''I ain't acting'' he matched your voice's quietness now but it was still stern. ''I told you last night that I care about you'' he was about to say something else but you cut him short. 

''Before going to see Mary this mornin'?'' the words shot out of your mouth. You don't even know why you brought her up. Instant regret flooded your body and you could feel the tears begin to fall down your cheeks. The way he felt about Mary was nothing to do with you. You had never confessed that you cared about Arthur in this way but now it was more than obvious. Arthur stayed unmoved but silent, his eyes had widened at your comment and his lips parted at the sight of you upset in front of him. You quickly wiped the tears from your face, you felt betrayed by the lack of control of your emotions. ''I'm sorry'' you almost whispered before turning around. You were about to make your way back to camp when Arthur spoke. 

''I was just helpin' her out'' he sighed. ''All that, with Mary...it's in the past'' you turned round to face him. His eyes had dropped to the floor and he rested both his hands on his gun belt. ''I saw you this mornin'....In the post office. I ran after ya but you were too fast for me.... but now I understand why you ran'' he looked up at you and you felt your breath catch in your throat. Arthur closed the distance between the both of you again. ''I'm a bad man (Y/N). I've done some evil things and I can't control it sometimes. I just get angry and then bad things happen....to good people. I hurt people, it's what I do'' his eyes were scanning your face. ''But don't you dare think for one minute, because of all that, I don't care for you because god damn it (Y/N).....I shouldn't.....I shouldn't care about you so much because it only leads to you gettin' hurt. But I do, I care about you'' he paused. You couldn't believe what he was saying. your brain was screaming at you to say something but words were not forming in your mouth. The heat from your body rose to your cheeks and your heart was beating so fast you thought it might just explode. All of a sudden Arthur's hand was cupping your cheek, gently pulling your head up to look at him. His eyes glanced at yours for a split second before finding your lips and leaning down for his to meet them. At first you couldn't believe what was happening but the feeling of his soft lips on yours was better than you could have imagined. He wrapped his arms around your waist and pulled you closer into his embrace. The kiss was soft and passionate, you both moved in synchronisation. You caressed his neck with both hands to intensify the kiss. His tongue grazed your bottom lip and you opened your mouth to allow him to take control. It felt like the world around you had disappeared and it was just the two of you, together, in this moment. Arthur broke the kiss and took a step back from you taking a large breath of air before looking at you. The kiss had stopped as suddenly as it had started and you were left extremely confused. 

''I'm sorry'' Arthur paused, removing his gaze from you to focus on the ground. ''I shouldn't have done that'' his voice filled with regret. His face looked like he was battling with his own emotions. You stood looking at him open mouthed. You felt your heart being broken all over again. He passed by you to walk back to camp. "You comin'?" he asked and you shook your head in reply. He left you to be by yourself. Your feet stayed planted to the floor where he had just been kissing you. If your head wasn't in enough pain before, this had just tripled it. Coldness was all you felt as you stood there. Your mind was flooded with what had just happened. Instead of sadness, anger rose from deep within you. Without thought you felt yourself marching towards where Bill would be. You found him in the darkness stood next to the path that lead to camp. 

"You back on your feet then" he chuckled as you approached him. You didn't respond to his comment but instead clenched your fist and punched him as hard as you possibly could. The impact hit him straight in the face. You knew he had probably been punched by much stronger people then you but he still lost his footing and fell onto his arse. It was so satisfying to see Bill knocked to the floor by your own hand. You had managed to unleash all your anger into the one punch and you felt instant relief. 

"Damn you woman" he shouted at you before crawling back to his feet. You hadn't thought this through, you were too angry to think. He was now standing tall over you and you had no defence. Bill was about to raise his hand to you before John appeared behind you. 

"Seems like you are both even now then" John shouted. He moved to stand between the both of you preventing Bill from getting to you. John watched Bill as he unclenched his fist and turned to walk in the other direction. Bill cursed under his breath as he stormed away leaving you and John. 

"You tryin' to get yourself killed?" John turned to you. He placed his hands on both your shoulders so you couldn't turn away from him. 

"No" you scoffed before coming to your senses and finally relaxing. "I was just angry" you admitted. 

"Well, you need to learn how to pick your fights" he laughed. "Bill may be stupid but he's a lot stronger then you" John's voice was serious now, he scanned your hand to make sure you hadn't done more damage to yourself by punching Bill. You hand was sore but no serious damage had been done. 

"I know" you spoke softly as you looked at John. "It was dumb but I'm alright now, I promise". 

"Good. Let's get you back to bed" he smiled at you. "You need rest". John escorted you back to your tent. He had a concerned look on his face as you were very quiet the whole walk back. John was your most trusted friend in camp and he knew you almost as well as Arthur did. He knew this was not your normal behaviour. You were hoping he would assume it was because of your concussion and ask no questions. 

"You gonna be alright?" John asked as you reached your tent. 

"I'll be fine, thank you John" you smiled weakly at him. "I just need to sleep". He scanned your face to find any sign of you lying to him. 

"Alright, g'night (Y/N). I'll come check on ya in the mornin'." John tipped his hat to you as he took his leave. You walked into your tent and slumped down onto your cot. The tears started to drown your eyes and this time you let them come. At least no one was here to see you let out your emotions. You pulled your blanket over yourself and hid your face underneath it. Everything hurt, your head, your ribs and your heart. You closed your eyes and tried to think of anything other then Arthur. But all you could picture was his face. The way he held you close to him and the kiss you shared. It felt so right, you never thought it possible to feel like you belonged in someone's arms but now you did. So why did he pull away from you? Your eyes became heavy as your brain began to pound against your skull. Sleep was what you needed right now and everything else can wait until the morning.


	8. 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The camp has to move to a new location after getting found by the Pinkerton's. Is Arthur and Readers relationship ruined before it even began?

You woke up with the worst headache imaginable. Even opening your eyes seemed to bring more pain and every time you moved it was like getting hit by a brick. You lay in your cot as still as possible, eyes closed and trying to not think about the events of last night. The rest of camp was beginning to stir. You could hear them as they walked past your tent or when they were talking to one another. But you didn't feel like moving, the thought of facing the rest of camp in your condition was the last thing you needed right now. So you just lay still and quiet, hoping that no one would disturb you. It wasn't like you to not be one of the first people out of bed but given your injuries they would hopefully understand. That wasn't the only reason why you wanted to stay away from everyone. What happened with you and Arthur last night played like a movie in your head. Over and over. You couldn't help but overthink on what you might have done wrong or what made him pull away from you. Speaking to Arthur would be the only way you could clear your head from the situation. However, you were both as bad as each other when it came to talking about emotions. If you attempted to avoid him for a while this might help you to get over him instead of having to face him. 

''Can I come in?'' you heard John's voice at your tent. 

''Yeah'' you answered. The vibrations from your voice rattled your brain in your skull and you winced at the pain. He stepped through the flap with Charles following behind. 

''Thought we would come check on ya'' he smiled down at you before sitting at the foot of the cot. Charles sat on the floor next to you both. ''How ya feelin'?''. 

''Rough'' was the only word you could master before wincing again. 

''Not surprised. You took a big hit yesterday. Javier said even with being concust you still managed to take one of the men out. That's impressive'' Charles looked smiled at you. ''Here have some water''. You attempted to push yourself up to sit on your cot but your vision started to spin and you almost collapsed back down. John managed to catch you and helped you into a sitting position. 

''Take it easy'' John spoke softly. ''There's no rush. You have no chores until you are better so just take your time'' he smiled at you whilst helping you stay upright. You took a deep breath and managed to balance yourself before nodding at John to let go of you. Charles handed you a cup of water and you took it gratefully. As you take the water you notice the slight bruises that graze your knuckles from punching Bill. 

''You should see Bill's black eye'' Charles chuckled at you as he noticed you looking at your hand. You smiled slightly but you felt bad, if things hadn't escalated with Arthur you never would have been so angry and taken it out on Bill. ''Very brave of you taking him on by yourself'' he smirked. 

''Or stupid'' John interupted looking straight at you. ''What were you thinkin' (Y/N)?'' he raised his voice slightly at you but you knew he wasn't angry, just concerned. You picked a fight that you couldn't win. 

''I wasn't'' you admitted in a hoarse tone as you looked at the floor. You took a couple of mouthfuls of water which cleared your dry throat. ''I wasn't thinkin' at all'' you closed your eyes and pinched the bridge of your nose. The pain from talking was unbearable. 

''One minute you are runnin' after Arthur to stop him from gettin' to Bill and the next you are the one starting the fight'' John giggled now, realising he was being a bit harsh on you. ''I will never understand women'' he tried to lift the mood but you were not warming to it. The mention of Arthur's name made your heart sink in your chest and you had to breathe deeply to stop yourself from crying. You had already cried too much over Arthur and you knew you were stronger than this. John and Charles stayed with you for a while talking about Dutch's plans. You hummed along listening to them chat to one another, getting involved whenever you mastered the strength. 

''I better get goin' to Valentine'' John stood up from next to you. ''I'll see you both soon'' he smiled and patted your shoulder gently before walking out of your tent. 

''Let's take a look at them cuts'' Charles came closer to you and examined the cuts on your head and face. He was very gentle as he moved your hair from your face and took a closer look. You winced away from his touch as he grazed one of your stitches. ''They are healing well but I will put some herbs together which will speed things up a bit'' he backed away from you. 

''Thanks Charles'' you managed a weak smile at him before he also left the tent. Although you wanted to be alone, you couldn't stand the sight of your tent any longer. You pushed yourself to your feet and you felt how wobbly they were. Standing upright made your head pound so you took a minute to compose yourself before heading out. The light from the sun stung your eyes and you already debated going back to bed. You made your way over to Pearsons cart before grabbing some bread and sitting on a log beside the fire. 

''What are you doing out of bed Miss (Y/N)'' Mrs Grimshaw came to sit next to you. Even though her tone was stern her smile said otherwise. 

''I needed some fresh air'' you croaked before taking a bite of your bread. 

''I see'' she smirked. ''You alright after last night?'' she took your bruised hand in hers and you nodded in reply. ''You know we don't tolerate fighting in camp''. 

''I'm sorry Mrs Grimshaw'' you stared at your feet trying to avoid her disappointed gaze. ''It won't happen again''. 

''G'mornin' Miss (Y/N), Mrs Grimshaw'' Dutched joined you at the fire. ''Keepin' outta trouble today (Y/N)'' he smirked as he lit his cigar. 

''Only just Dutch'' you joked back. He laughed at this before taking a large drag from his cigar. You hadn't spoken to Dutch a lot since you joined camp but he seemed to take a shine to you. 

''That's what I like to hear'' he was about to pour himself a coffee when Strauss approached him. He asked him if they could go into Valentine for some 'business'. You didn't know if you trusted Strauss or not. He never made an effort with the camp and just lurked around, I guess that's just his nature but something made you wary of him. Dutch nodded at the slender man and they both left shortly afterwards. The day went by slowly, everything you did was painful and took twice as long to do. You decided to spend the afternoon with Dallas, brushing him clean of the muck that built up after yesterday's ride. This was the place you could avoid everyone but not be stuck in your tent. The rest of camp must think you prefer the company of the horses by the amount of time you spend here. There were two people in particular you were trying to avoid. Bill was sulking around camp, drunk as usual. Even from the horses you could see the black bruise that covered his left eye. You knew that he would use it as an excuse to get out of doing work, you thought it best that he calmed down before trying to talk to him again. Arthur, on the other hand, hadn't been in camp since you had been up. Probably out working a job or hunting. Although you wanted to see him you knew it was for the best that he wasn't around for now. Seeing him around camp would only make you feel worse. If that was even possible. You moved to sit on the cliff edge for a couple of hours, looking at the beautiful views that this place held. The mountains in the distance to the stream down below. The sun shone over the water and through the trees. Birds flew above the clouds and the deer prancing along in the grass. This place felt like home to you now and what a beautiful home it was. As you sat and took in all your surroundings you almost forgot about the pain you were in and your head cleared from the memories of last night. You breathed in the fresh cool air and you felt you could sit and stare out into the beautiful scenery forever. The sounds of thundering hooves brought you out of your trance and you saw Dutch and John ride back into camp with Strauss limply on the back of John's horse. 

''Mrs Grimshaw, Mr Pearson we need to pack now'' Duch's voice boomed through the camp. You found your feet and ran over to John to find out what was going on. John was carrying Strauss over to his bedroll, it looked like he had been shot in the arm. 

''What is goin' on?'' you asked as you knelt down to take a look at Strauss' injury. It wasn't too serious but it needed stitches and a bandage. You placed pressure on the cut to stop the bleeding before grabbing a bottle of whiskey to disinfect the cut. 

''One minute I'm herding sheep with Arthur, the next Laviticus Cornwall turns up in Valentine with the Pinkertons and we are shooting our way outta there'' John was clearly out of breath as he spoke. ''We need to pack and leave now or we won't be livin' much longer'' his voice was serious as he left to help pack up camp, leaving you to tend to Strauss' cut. You managed to concentrate just enough to stitch his arm up cleanly but your concussion was making it difficult. You had fallen in love with Horseshoe Overlook and now you were leaving. Wait, Arthur? John said he was with Arthur but he didn't come back to camp with them. Suddenly, you start to panic. What had happened to him? You quickly bandaged Strauss' arm before marching into camp to find John to ask about Arthur. Before you reached him you heard the hooves of a horse coming into camp. There he was, blood was splattered across his face and he looked tired but he was safe. Relief surged through your body as he dismounted from his horse and made his way over to Dutch and Hosea. You watched him discreetly to see if he was injured but he appeared unharmed. Just as quickly as the relief had come so did the pain, seeing Arthur made your heart ache. He disappeared from sight as he went to come up with a plan with Dutch and Hosea. You pulled yourself together before dismantling your tent and packing your things. Everything seemed to crumble all at once but you had to be strong. The sickness feeling in your stomach was right in doubting that this couldn't all last forever. You just hoped the next place you go would be just as perfect as here. 

''And take (Y/N) with you too'' Dutch shouted. You turned your attention from packing to him and realised who he was talking to. Arthur was walking out of Dutch's tent, making his way back to Siego and he didn't look pleased. 

''Charles, (Y/N), come on, I need you both for somthin'.'' Arthur's voice was gruff, he didn't look in your direction as he spoke. So much for avoiding him for a while. 

''Where have I heard that before'' Charles joked before mounting up. You made your way over to Dallas and mounted him before following closely behind the two men. Charles and Arthur were speaking about where we were going. A place called Dewberry creek and that we needed to scout ahead to make sure it was safe for the camp to move there. You stayed silent behind just listening to the conversation. The movement from the galloping horse underneath you was agony, each stride felt like you were being thrown against a wall. 

''You alright back there'' Charles called out to you after a while. 

''Yeah, I'm alright'' you lied. You couldn't understand why Dutch sent you out to do this in your state but to make it worse you were forced to spend time with Arthur. 

''Just hang in there'' Charles could sense the lie. ''Once we have found this place you can rest up until camp joins us'' he smiled at you before turning to talk to Arthur again. ''So where does it end? The moving, the running'' he asked. Arthur sounded irritated by the whole situation when he replied, talking about how the Pinkertons are just overpaid bounty hunters. The bounty on the gangs heads must be bigger than they thought to have a whole agency after them. You arrived at a dried out creek that was in a large open space. Straight away you doubted the whole idea, you would never be able to lie low in a place like this. 

''Let's have a look around'' Arthur instructed as you made your way into the creek. You looked around to see a dead body on the ground and smoke coming from a further down the creek. You reached for your rifle and dismounted Dallas as Charles inspected the body. It was fresh which meant that people were nearby. 

''There's a camp up ahead'' Charles warned. 

''Let's get ready for business. Any issues, shoot first, debate second'' Arthur turned to you looking at you for the first time since last night. ''How you feelin'?'' he asked softly, looking at you with a concerned face. You met his eyes and you had to swallow the lump in your throat. He hadn't acknowledged you the whole ride here which you were somewhat greatful for. Now his attention was on you which made your heart flutter. 

''I don't know how good my shot will be'' you smiled weakly at him, pushing your emotions to one side. You couldn't lie to him. Not in a situation where someone could get shot and you knew your head wasn't fully back to normal yet. 

''Okay, stay behind me and keep your wits about you'' he nodded at you before the three of you made your way towards the smoke. The camp seemed to be deserted when you got to it. The tents were empty and there was no sign that anyone was around. Arthur kept an eye on you making sure you were close to him just in case. Whenever you went to step beside or in front of him he would stick his arm out to block you and keep you behind him. His hand accidentally brushed yours when you tried to pass him on one occasion which sent a burning sensation though your body. You both glanced at each other before you took a step back to be behind him again. After everything last night, he was still trying to protect you. The three of you looked around for any sign of life but all you found were a couple crates of food and liquor. There were a couple of maps in one of the tents that you were in the middle of looking at when you heard Charles. 

''We mean you no harm'' he spoke calmly. You walked out of the tent to see Charles and Arthur had their hands up in surrender. A woman and her two children were hidden underneath a wagon. You carefully walked over to see she had a rifle pointed at the two men. 

''We won't hurt you'' you spoke very softly as you came into her view. ''I promise, please come out'' the woman was visibly terrified. You smiled reassuringly at her, slowly getting closer to the wagon. ''Please'' you reiterated holding out a hand for her to take. She pushed away the box in front of the wagon that was hiding them and took your hand to be helped up. She kept her gun aimed at Arthur and Charles as she got out from under the wagon. 

''Are you okay?'' Arthur asked in his gruff tone. 

''G-German?'' the woman asked. 

Unfortunately, none of you spoke German so Arthur began to lose his patience. It wasn't the first time you had seen Arthur annoyed at another language that he couldn't understand. The day you had gone to debt collect together you had been in the same situation. 

''We need the land....Go on, get the hell outta here'' Arthur shouted at them. You shot him a look to back off before turning to the woman. 

''What happened here?'' you asked calmly. 

''They took our father'' the young girl sobbed. ''Men, last night''. She pointed out the direction they had gone in. Arthur wasn't pleased about Charles and you wanting to help them. 

''Ain't no business of ours....I don't even speak their language'' he insisted. You knew as tough as Arthur was he wasn't as dense as he was making himself out to be. It didn't take long before Charles had convinced him to help. ''You, stay here'' he turned to you. You were about to retaliate when he cut you off. ''I ain't sure what we are gonna find.....and if you can't shoot....I can't be worryin' about you too. Ain't no time to argue'' he didn't wait for your response before he mounted up with Charles and left you with the woman and her kids. You perched on a crate with your rifle at the ready. The woman and her two children came to sit next to you. You wanted to talk to them and tell them everything was going to be alright but you had no clue how to speak German so you just sat and waited with them. It began to get dark and cold as you waited, you lit a couple lanterns and hung them from the wagon so you could see. 

"We will find your father, everything will be fine" you smiled at them. The young girl seemed to understand as she nodded at you. It wasn't too much longer before you heard hoof beats in the distance. You grabbed your rifle ready to shoot whoever was coming out of the darkness with a shakey hand. As they approached you saw Arthur with a man riding on the back of his horse and lowered the gun. The man jumped off the back of the horse calling to his family. They all embraced one another and you glanced at Arthur who had a discrete smile on his lips. He would never admit it but you knew he enjoyed helping people. Arthur noticed you looking at him before shouting at the family in his gruff tone. 

"Alright, it ain't safe. Get outta here" he shooed them away. His voice was very intimidating to anyone who didn't know him. It always sounded like he was about to loose his temper and lash out when he shouted. The family quickly grabbed Their belongings before jumping into the wagon. 

"Danke....ermm, thank you" the man glanced at you both before handing Arthur a gold bar. He then joined his family on the wagon and pushed the horse into a steady trot. 

"I guess it was a pleasure" Arthur waved them off as he examined the gold bar. 

"Worth it in the end then" you smirked at him as you stood up from the crate. 

"I guess so" he tossed you the gold bar to look at. It was heavy in your hands as you looked at it in awe. 

"So, what now? Where is Charles?" you asked. You suddenly came to the realisation that you two were alone again. Looking at him made you heart weap but you put on a fake smile. 

"He's gone to divert the gang to the camp we found. It's in a better location then this" he muttered whilst lookinng around the abandoned camp in case there were any other provisions left to take. "A place called Clemens Point" he gestured in the general direction before mounting back up. You mounted Dallas and followed as Arthur directed you to the new camp. "You feelin' any better?" Arthur turned to you as you both rode alongside each other. 

"A bit, my head still hurts but I'll be fine soon enough" you smiled weakly at him. It was hard to look at him, let alone speak to him. You could feel the awkwardness rise in both of you. 

"I'm sure you will" he smiled back. 

"It's a shame isn't it" you spoke softly trying to think of anything to say to break the tension. Arthur looked at you with a confused expression. "That we had to leave Horseshoe Overlook. I really liked that place" you immediately follow with. 

"I know, it was good while it lasted" he smirked. "Unfortunately, we never stay in one place too long". 

"I figured" you let out a sigh. You ride on in silence for a little while. There were so many things you wanted to ask him, so many things you wanted to say. But your throat closed up and the words turned to dust. "We're here" you pulled through some trees to a small opening next to a river before dismounting. 

"Well this is a hell of a lot better then a dried up creek" you giggled trying to lighten the mood. Arthur smiled at you before hitching his horse up. You made your way over to the small dock on the river and took a deep breath in. The awkward tension between you and Arthur was unbearable. You looked around, taking in the new surroundings. It wasn't as picturesce as the last camp but it wasn't awful. You heard footsteps on the dock behind you and turned to face Arthur. He was scratching the back of his neck and looked slightly uncomfortable before he began speaking to you. He clearly felt the same way you were. 

"(Y/N)....about last night" he took a slight pause and you started to tremble. This is what you were dreading. You were the worst at talking about your emotions. Mostly because you forgot you had emotions before meeting Arthur. Your heart started to beat ten times faster then usual and the palms of your hands felt sweaty. "I just wanted to apologise.....Shit, I ain't good with words... Can we just forget about what happened" the words cut you open like a knife. They stabbed so deeply inside your chest that you could physically feel the pain from what he was saying. 

"Arthur, I" you paused to look at the wooden dock beneath your feet. You wanted to say so much. About how you wouldn't be able to forget even if you tried. About the fact that he made you feel extremely happy when he kissed you. About the way he was making you feel right in this moment. "Sure" you replied. The last thing you needed right now was to fight with him. You had been through worse and survived so you could easily get over Arthur Morgan. Right? 

"Thank you" he whispered before making his way back to where the camp would be set up. You fought back the tears that threatened to break free when he left you by yourself. You took many deep breaths to compose yourself before walking back into the open land and sitting under a tree. Arthur stayed on the other side of the new camp whilst you both rested. You couldn't bare to talk to him anymore today for fear of showing your true feeling. It was morning before the rest of the gang arrived. You had managed to get an hour or twos sleep before the wagon loads came piling into the open space. Mrs Grimshaw put you to work straight away with unloading and setting up camp. It took the best part of a couple of days and everyone's help before it camp was set up. Your head was more or less back to normal and your cuts were now scabbing over. Arthur and you kept out of each others way and you decided to spend more time with the girls. You enjoyed their company but it wasn't as fun as riding out to go hunting or going on a job with the men. Every time you saw Arthur you would go in the other direction, you missed him terribly. You missed leaving camp to go on pointless rides together and the way you both would race each other or laugh at each others stories. All the girls ever talked about was men and that was the one thing you wanted to forget about. Sadie related to you strongly, she was getting more and more frustrated as the days went on. 

"I'm getting sick of this place" she threw a rock as far as she could into the river in frustration. "I hate being cooped up chopping vegetables or cleaning clothes. I ain't doin' it no more" her voice getting louder with the intension of someone hearing her. You smiled at her, you knew exactly how she felt but you were lucky enough to get invited on jobs in the last camp, Sadie wasn't so lucky. 

"I know how ya feel" you sighed throwing a rock too. 

"I need to get outta here or I'm gonna shoot someone" she turned to you. "I can hunt as well ya know" she looked you in the eyes almost begging for you to take her hunting. 

"Mrs Adler, Miss (Y/N), can you get back up here and pull your weight" Mrs Grimshaw shouted from the edge of camp. You turned to see Sadie's face burn bright red. 

"Be right there Mrs Grimshaw" you replied before Sadie said something she would regret. "Come on, you'll get out soon enough" you gestured for Sadie to follow you back into camp. It had been a long few days and it was taking its toll on everyone. You made your way to the horses to finish off the rest of your chores. Keiran was helping you tend them and you could hear Sadie bickering with Pearson on the other side of camp. You couldn't help but giggle at the sound of her cursing his name. A couple of minutes later you watch as Arthur confronts the pair of them before they kill each other. You couldn't hear what was being said but the next thing you saw was Arthur and Sadie mounting a wagon and riding out of camp. At least she was able to get out of this place for a while. You were happy for her, she was finally able to get out even if it was just for a day. You couldn't help be slightly jealous of her, you wished it was you and Arthur going out together. Shaking your head you carried on with your chores. 

"How are you settlin' (Y/N)?" Keiran asked as he saw you watch them leave. 

"Yeah, alright" you answered while brushing down Dallas. "How about yourself?" you felt sorry for Kieran. He has never truly been welcomed into the gang. People still called him an 'O'Driscoll' but he seemed to ignore their comments now. 

"Good I guess, I just tend to avoid any confrontation" his voice was shakey even when speaking to you. You had spoken many times whilst you were both with the horses. He wasn't much of a talker though. It would just be the odd comment here and there. 

"That's probably the best thing to do" you smirked back at him. 

"(Y/N), my girl" you heard Hosea's familiar voice call out to you. "Want to go for a walk with me?" Hosea approached you as you were finishing with Dallas. 

"Of course" you nodded at him before following him through the woods away from camp. The last time you and Hosea had properly spoken was when you told him about everything that had happened to you before joining the gang. Since then he always asked how you were and would give you packs of biscuits that he picked up from the store. But you suspected something might be wrong when he asked you for a second walk. 

"How are you doing my dear?" he asked softly. 

"I'm doing good Hosea, yourself?" you answered with a questioning look. 

"Just fine" he paused. "If I may ask my girl, has something happened between you and Arthur?" he scanned your face as he asked you the question. You felt your breath catch at his question but you didn't let your face show any emotion. 

"What do you mean?" you played dumb, hoping that he wouldn't press on with any more questions. 

"Recently you two have seemed off with one another. You used to spend a lot of time together but I've noticed you both avoiding one another in camp" he paused to look at you. "Arthur has been more grumpy then usual and you have definitely not been as happy as you once were. I'm just checking you are both alright" he stopped in his tracks and turned to face you. You couldn't avoid his stare but you knew you couldn't tell him what had happened. 

"Nothin' has happened, I just think moving camp has taken its toll on me and possibly Arthur too" you lied through gritted teeth. Lying never bothered you but you hated lying to Hosea. It didn't feel right, almost like you were lying to yourself. He hummed in reply before beginning to walk again. 

"He cares a great deal for you, ya know" Hosea added. "I haven't seen him like this in years" you glanced at Hosea in disbelief. 

"I don't think so Hosea" you sighed. "We are just good friends" you didn't want to believe his words. Last time you got your hopes up they were smashed to pieces. Plus Arthur had made his feelings pretty clear. 

"Arthur isn't great at expressing how he feels. He never has been. Especially after everything he has been through" Hosea smiled at you. "But trust me, my girl, just give him time. He will come to his senses" he gave you a small wink and you felt the rush of heat run to your cheeks. There was no hiding the bright redness in your face in broad daylight. Hosea saw right through your lie and your secret was out. 

"His senses? Hosea I'm no good with this sorta stuff either" you giggled at him admitting defeat. 

"Yes (Y/N) his senses. You are a beautiful, strong young lady. I've seen the way he looks at ya. I haven't ever seen him look at any girl like that" he patted your hand you had linked through his arm. "Not even Mary" he paused. You didn't know how to react. A part of you was over the moon with what Hosea was saying but the other part of you didn't want to believe him in case he had gotten it all wrong. "Arthur will be battling with himself over this, much like I can see you are. Talk to him" he added. How could he read your so well, it was like he knew what you were feeling before you did. You couldn't help the shy smile that graced your face. You were about to respond when you herd a horse and cart cantering down the track into camp. It was Arthur and Sadie with provisions. They pulled up beside you and Hosea before both dismounting. Arthur gave you a confused look as he saw you and Hosea coming back from your walk. Pearson soon joined to help unload the wagon with a sarcastic comment aimed at Sadie. 

"I enjoyed myself out there" she smiled. It was the first time in a while you had seen her smile. A break from camp was just what she needed. 

"Mrs Adler did okay" Arthur nodded at her as Pearson grabbed the boxes of provisions from the wagon. "I would ride with you again Mrs Adler if you would ride with me" Arthur passed her a box. 

"Maybe, if you prove can handle yourself" she laughed at him. You and Hosea also grabbed a couple of boxes each from the back of the wagon and took them over to Pearson's cart. 

"I'm liking the new look Sadie" you set the boxes to one side and looked at her new clothes. She was now wearing trousers and a yellow shirt. 

"I've gotta say it's so much more comfortable then those awful skirts" you both laughed in agreement. Hosea and Arthur both walked off leaving the three of you to finish with the rest of the load. You watched as you saw Hosea speaking to him but you couldn't hear what was being said. 

After helping you went back to your tent for a while and sat on your cot. The day had gone slowly but it was the first night where the whole camp was fully settled in. There was no more boxes to unpack or tents to set up. Everyone was going to gather around the fire later for a small toast to the new location. 'Talk to him' Hosea's words rang in your ears. You knew it was the right thing to do but at the same time you were scared. Nerves never got the better of you, put a gun in your hand and you were fine, but this time they were. Not being able to talk to Arthur like before was bad enough as it was, you didn't want to make it worse. You both had been so close and now you could barely look at one another. There were two ways you could go about this. You could tell him everything you were feeling and hope that he feels the same back or you could clear the air and pretend you never had feelings for him. Only now did you begin to understand why women acted so unusual around men they fell for. You had become something you never thought you would and you had to put an end to it. Pineing after a man was not the way you wanted to spend your life. Either way you had to speak to him and tonight was going to be that night.


	9. 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reader misses her chance to talk to Arthur but the next day everything works itself out! Cute dancing scene.

The darkness of night rolled in quickly while you sat in your ten resting. Thoughts of what you were going to say were playing through your head as you pulled on some clean clothes. You let your hair hang freely down past your shoulders instead of your usual braid and brushed away the build up knots. The smell of Pearsons freshly cooked stew made your stomach growl and you took one more deep breath before stepping out of your tent. The night air was cold and hugged your bare arms but you would be warm around the fire so you decided you didn't need a coat. You followed the smell of food until you saw that you weren't the only hungry mouth at camp. Nearly everyone was gathered around the big pot of stew. It made you chuckle as people complained at how late the food was being served. Pearson waved them all off with an unapproving look and you waited by the fire until you were able to get your helping. Javier came to sit with you and handed you a bowl. 

''I got ya this. Saw you were waiting'' he smiled at you as you took the bowl from him. 

''Thank you, Javier'' you smiled back before taking a big spoon full of stew. 

''Was the least I could do. I never got to apologise for the job'' he sat on the log next to you. 

''No need to apologise. Accidents happen and it weren't your fault anyway'' you reassured him. 

''Ahh well....looks like you gave Bill what he deserved for that'' he smirked gesturing to the tall man. The bruise on his face was all but gone, you hadn't spoken to Bill since the incident. You knew it was only a matter of time before you had to face him too. ''I'd like to ride with you again sometime. See what you are actually made of. Couldn't believe it when you still managed to gun one of the men down after that hit'' he teased you as others started to gather around the fire to join you. You couldn't help a sense of pride when one of the men complimented you on your skills. 

''I'm always up for gettin' outta camp for a bit, just let me know when'' you both nodded at each other. It was nice to know that even if you and Arthur couldn't get back to the way things were, others would still want you to go along with them on a job. Sadie and Sean came to sit either side of you as the last of the camp grabbed their bowls of stew. 

''(Y/N), I hear you are not the only girlie good with a gun around here'' Sean nudged you whilst tipping his head to Sadie. ''I hear Mrs Adler here is almost as good as ya at shootin'.'' you turned to Sadie to see the shy smile on her face. 

''Sadie Adler. Are you tellin' me all this time you were holdin' back on me'' you teased her. 

''I told you I could hunt'' she giggled. 

''So that's why you were so happy comin' back from shoppin'?'' you had to admit you were shocked at how excited Sadie was after a afternoon of 'Shopping'. She never struck you as the type of girl who would enjoy trying on fancy dresses. You just put it down to it being the first time she had been out of camp, the change of scenery might have brought some joy. Your eyes landed on the broad figure that came to sit down opposite you. Arthur's face was clear as day with the glow from the campfire and you couldn't help but stare at him. It was as if you had gone back in time to the first night when you were considered a gang member and not a prisoner anymore. Staring at Arthur for the first time as he sat across from you. You felt very differently towards him now, back then you were scared of his mean temper but now you were scared of loosing him. His eyes came up to meet yours for a split second before you quickly averted his gaze. 

''Are you even listening (Y/N)?'' Sadie was busy telling you about her run in with the Lemoyne Raiders but you hadn't paid attention at all. 

''Of course'' you lied trying to not draw attention to who you were actually focusing on. Before she could carry on with her story, Dutch stood and shouted for everyone's attention. It didn't take long before everyone was quiet and focused on what he was about to say. Dutch had such authority over the gang that when he spoke no one dared to speak over him. 

''Evening everyone, I know it's been a tough couple of days but with everyone's help we have managed to call this place a home...for now. Now, I know it ain't perfect but once we get a couple big scores we will be outta here to a real home. Somewhere we won't have to run away from. Arthur, Hosea and myself ran into town yesterday and scoped the place out. We are now in the middle of two rich families fighting one another so we should go about unnoticed. That means no guns or nonsense in town. I ask you all to stay strong, stay together and keep up the good work. Now let's celebrate to our new home'' he cheered as he held his bottle in the air. Everyone cheered along with him and took a drink before he sat down and conversations began to flow again. It was nice to see everyone merry again as they drank and sang around the fire. You joined in with the celebrations but all you could think about was what you were going to say to Arthur. Drinking was the best way to calm your nerves, each bottle of beer or shot of whiskey didn't seem to help a bit at a time. 

''Whoa, calm down there'' John came to sit with you. ''You won't be able to stand up soon'' he laughed as he saw the amount of alcohol you had consumed. 

''I haven't had that much'' you slurred. Only then did you realise how much you had actually drunk. Your vision had become blurred and you couldn't think straight. The log you were once sat on you were now using as a back rest with the empty bottles lying at your feet. 

''(Y/N), I think you've had enough'' John took the bottle that was in your hand and drank the last of it. 

''Oi, I was drinking that'' you punched his arm lightly but he couldn't help but laugh at the state you had gotten yourself in. 

''You seem to be drinking everything in sight'' he teased you. It was starting to get late and you could see people were starting to call it a night but you still hadn't spoken to Arthur. You scanned around the campfire but he was no longer sat opposite you, you had lost track of the time and you missed your opportunity. Just to be sure you turned your attention to his cot where he appeared to be sleeping soundly. Disappointed in yourself you hung your head low between your knees and breathed out a heavy sigh. ''You alright?'' John asked as he saw your sudden change in behaviour. 

''Peachy'' you looked at John's amused face. ''What the hell is so funny, Marston?'' you were slightly irritated by the look he was giving you. 

''You'' he chuckled. ''You're a funny drunk (Y/N)''. 

''I am not drunk'' you tried to defended yourself but your voice was slurring. You couldn't help but laugh with John, you passed the point of pretending to be sober. John began to force feed you water as you sat together until you were the only ones left awake. Even in your drunken state John was so easy to get on with. You both found yourselves giggling uncontrollably at each other's stories. Trying to keep your voices quiet while everyone was sleeping proved difficult as Mrs Grimshaw appeared to tell you both to go to bed. This only made you giggle more but you did as instructed and John walked you back to your tent. 

''Here'' he passed you one last cup of water which you quickly drank. You knew that he wouldn't leave you alone unless you drink it. 

''G'night John'' you smirked at him as you passed him the empty cup. ''Thank ya for tonight'' you knew he wouldn't exactly know what you meant by that but for one night he managed to take your mind off everything. You were able to be your old self again which you didn't realise you had missed. 

''G'night (Y/N)'' he smiled at you before you walked into your tent. You slumped down onto your cot not even managing to get changed out of your clothes into your nightwear. The tent was spinning around you and as you shut your eyes sleep came over you very quickly. 

The next morning you crawled out of your cot. Your head was hurting but not as much as you had expected so you were pleasantly surprised. It must have been all the water that John made you drink. You very rarley got drunk so whenever you did you normally regretted it the next day. You tied your hair into a braid and splashed some water over your face to wake you up. The one thing you desperately needed was coffee so you made your way out of your tent and towards the dying fire. Although you were the last to go to bed you were still the first one awake so you did your best to reignite the campfire. You sat on a log in front of the flames with your head between both hands waiting for the water in the pot to boil. You felt numb and tired, your body demanded rest but your head thought otherwise. The fire warmed you as the morning chill still ran through the air. Everything was peaceful allowing you to breathe for a while before anyone else disturbed you. Often on a morning is when you would do most of your thinking as it was the one time you could truly be alone before everyone wakes up. 

''Mornin'.'' you jumped at the voice coming from behind you. ''Sorry didn't mean to startle ya'' Arthur chuckled as he sat on the log next to you. This was the first time the both of you had spoken in days and you were not prepared at all. You felt your heart race as you watched him take his seat. His cheeks were slightly red from the cold and he looked well rested for once. 

''Mornin', I didn't think anyone else was awake'' you poured Arthur a coffee and passed it to him before pouring your own. 

''Thank ya'' he smiled. ''Didn't think you would be up at all this mornin' after last night'' he teased you before taking a sip from his cup. After all this time of not talking you couldn't believe he would go straight back to teasing you. You always liked it when he teased you. It was his way of showing fondness plus it always lightened the mood. 

''What ever do you mean, Mr Morgan?'' you chuckled, looking at him innocently. 

''Well seen as you are up, fancy helpin' me today?'' he asked shyly. Your mouth dropped open and your eyes widened. You couldn't believe he was asking you to go on a job with him. After yesterday you thought that he might replace you with Sadie. Of course you wanted to help him, you wanted more than anything to spend time with him again. Your heart fluttered slightly at the thought of you two being back to normal again. It took you a while to reply, as you were still in shock. Arthur turned his gaze to the floor after a moment, half expecting you to reject his offer. 

''I guess that depends on what it is'' you teased trying to counteract the long silence. 

''I'll tell you on the way'' he smirked and took the last gulp of his coffee. ''Come on then'' he gestured for you to follow him to the horses. You finished the rest of your coffee before following closely behind him. Whilst saddling up, your mind was racing with things that you should say to him. All the things you wanted to talk to him about last night but you pushed the thoughts to one side. You didn't want to ruin what could be the start of your friendship again with admitting your feelings. The both of you mounted up and headed out of camp through the woods. It had been a couple of weeks since you last rode out with just Arthur. You couldn't hide the big smile plastered across your face as you rode out onto the open road. Arthur turned to you, giving you a devilish grin and you knew just what that meant. You tightened your grip on the reins and without a word spoken to one another, spurred Dallas into a flat out gallop. Arthur was quick to react and pushed Siego as fast as she could go. The two of you galloped side by side down the empty road with the wind flowing through your hair. In this moment it felt like nothing had ever happened, the memories of the past few days were cleared from your head and it was just the two of you back to the way things were. 

''Come on Arthur, that all you got'' you shouted over to him as you asked Dallas to open his stride even further, gaining more speed until you were in front of Arthur and Siego. Standing up in your stirups, you allowed Dallas as much free movement as possible. You were approaching a fork in the road and had to bring Dallas back to a steady trot as you still had no clue where you were going. Arthur wasn't far behind you and soon caught up before pulling up to a trot. 

''One of these days, I will win'' he chuckled out of breath as you both patted your horses necks. 

''I'm not so sure about that cowboy'' you teased him. You know he hated being called a cowboy but he always let you get away with it. ''You gonna tell me what we're doin' now?'' you pulled Dallas into a walk before turning your attention to Arthur. He had a genuine smile on his face which made your cheeks flush bright red. You hadn't seen that smile in what felt like forever. 

''We are gonna pay a little visit to the Grey family. They are one of the families Dutch was talkin' bout last night'' he gestured to a plantation just down the track from where you were. ''We are gonna do some diggin'. Find out what's goin' on around here''. You followed Arthur down the road until you came up to a house with guards at the gate. Arthur told the men he had met Sheriff Grey and that he had told him to come introduce himself. 

''What about the woman?'' one of the men asked pointing his gun at you. 

''She's with me'' Arthur assured him in his rough tone. The men let you both pass before Arthur whispered under his breath. ''Damn fools''. You let Arthur do all the talking until one of the workers pointed you in the direction of a man called Beau Grey. The both of you dismounted your horses and headed round the back of the house to find him. You found Beau writing in a book behind one of the other buildings. He was an odd young man who had strange ideas. Beau automatically assumed that Arthur and yourself were here to kill them all and he would happily let you do it. 

''I don't want to kill anyone'' Arthur threw his hands up in defence. 

''I love her you know'' Beau changed the subject quickly. 

''Love who?'' you asked confused with the sudden change in subject. He explained that he was in love with a lady called Penelopy Braithwait who was a part of his rival family. You and Arthur glanced at each other bewildered by what you had just stepped into. 

''But it's impossible'' Beau stated. 

''Well, love tends to be complicated'' Arthur scratched the back of his neck awkwardly whilst glancing at you. You caught his glance before he quickly turned his attention back to the young man. A small sigh accidentally left your lips, when the memories of the night he had kissed you came back. Love is definitely complicated, he wasn't wrong about that. Beau then offered you both money in exchange for delivering a letter a letter to Penelope. You could see Arthur was slightly doubtful but even he couldn't refuse the money that was offered and took the letter. The both of you mounted back up and headed for Braithwaite Manor. 

''How'd we end up caught in some modern tail of Romeo and Juliet'' you laughed as you trotted out of the Grey property. 

''Least we are gettin' paid'' Arthur laughed in reply. ''He's a strange boah, that one'' he looked back over his shoulder back towards the Grey property. 

''I thought he was quite charming'' you joked anticipating Arthur's reaction. 

''Charmin'? Him?'' Arthur sounded slightly irritated and shocked until he saw the cheeky grin on your face.''You got me there'' he smirked under the brim of his hat. The Braithwaite Manor wasn't too far away from the Grey Plantation so it didn't take you long to get there. Once the both of you arrived you came up with a plan of how to get round to the gazebo without being seen. You took the long way round the borders of the land, no guards to be seen, but you kept quiet nonetheless. The gazebo was around the back of the Manor, you rode until you spotted some guards. 

''We best dismount'' you whispered to Arthur as you pointed out the guards to him. ''The horses will draw too much attention''. You both dismounted and quietly snuck round to the gazebo making sure no one saw you. Beau was right, the pretty young woman was sitting reading her book in the gazebo as you approached. Arthur clumsily handed her the letter and bracelet Beau had given and she took it kindly. Her face suddenly lit up when she realised who it was from and she couldn't help but blush. 

''Oh, he is so....'' Penelope smiled sweetly. 

''Strange?'' Arthur cut her off. You nudged his arm quickly but that only made him chuckle under his breath. She spoke about Beau longingly, their family feud ran deeper than you had originally thought. She passed you another letter to be delivered to Beau and you took it, putting it in your bag without a second thought. Although you liked spending time with Arthur, delivering letters wasn't your idea of fun. However, the ride back to the Grey Plantation went quickly after you snuck back out of the Braithwait property without being seen. Arthur and you rode together joking about the young couples situation, you both admitted you did feel sorry for them. When you arrived back at the Grey plantation, Beau quickly opened the letter and scanned over it. To his dismay, Penelope was striking for women's rights. Many women had been shot and killed for protesting for rights. Beau's face turned from happiness to dread as he thought about Penelope's fate. He pleaded with you and Arthur to help, offering more money. 

''As long as we ain't delivering more letters'' Arthur agreed to help. The three of you mounted up and rode as fast as you could to Rhodes. This was more like the kind of work you enjoyed. You followed behind the two men, slightly excited at the prospect of doing something other than delivering letters. There was a wagon with a couple of women holding signs on the side of the road, this must be them. The three of you pulled over to greet them whilst Beau tried to convince Penelopy to not go through with the protest with no prevail. You were very impressed with the strength and bravery of the women in front of you. The only way you could help put Beau's mind to rest was to escort the protest through town. Arthur agreed to drive the wagon while you rode close behind whilst giggling at Arthur's new role. 

''Enjoying yourself cowboy?'' you smirked at him knowing full well he wasn't. 

''Shut up'' he joked back. They reached the town hall and the protesters dismounted the wagon and began a speech from the town steps. You watched, still mounted on Dallas as you saw a crowd of angry men gathering around them. One man quickly grabbed one of the women and before you fully thought about it, you had dismounted Dallas and intervened. 

"Keep your hands to yourself" you grabbed his arm from the woman and shoved him away. He wasn't a very big man and he was in his mid forties. 

"How dare ya touch me, woman" he growled at you. His face turning red with rage. "You have no right and your stupid protest won't change that. All you are good for is cookin' and child baring" he spat at your feet. 

"Wanna test the theory" you teased him. "If that's all I'm good at, then I won't be too good with this gun now. Will I?" your fingers grazed the pistle on your hip. "I'll let you call it" you threatened. You took a couple of steps away from the man, facing him head on. The crowed dispirst away from you. This was the excitement you wanted, you knew you could probably beat him in a duel so challenging him didn't stir any nerves. You could see Arthur watching on from the corner of your eye, he had his arms crossed and an amused look on his face. The man paused, looking at you fully, debating what to do. You cocked and eyebrow at him, waiting for his decision. 

"It ain't worth my time" he muttered to you. You sighed, slightly disappointed as he turned and walked away from you. 

"You havin' fun there?" Arthur approached you. "Dutch said we ain't to cause any trouble" he looked at you whilst smirking. 

"I know, but he was such a cocky shit" you chuckled at him. "Just wanted to scare him a bit". 

"You did that. There weren't any way he would have gotten out alive against you" he winked at you cheekily. Two angry men pushed by the both of you, they were were Grey boys. The two of them marched over to Beau, squaring up to him. Arthur left your side to intervene before things got ugly and took Beau round the back of the town hall. You ran around the back to meet them as they mounted up. They agreed the best thing to do was to get Beau out of there. You followed them out of Rhodes to a safe place. Before leaving, Beau thanked you both and handed you some money which you took gratefully. Arthur advised him to leave with Penelope if they truly wanted to be together before he left, leaving just the two of you. 

''I never took you for a romantic'' you teased Arthur as you rode back to camp together. ''I think you quite enjoyed helping the two love birds today''. 

''I can be helpful.....if it pays well'' he smirked as you approached camp. The day had gone by so quickly, you didn't know when the next opportunity would be to spend a day with Arthur. As you rode into camp your heart sunk slightly. The last thing you wanted was for you both to go back to ignoring each other again. You much prefered having him as just a friend then feeling awkward around one another. The sun was beginning to set as you hitched your horses up and untacked. ''Thank you for today" he paused. You glanced over at him. The brim of his hat covered most of his face as he looked down but he had an unmistakable smile on his lips. His smile always made you feel warm, knowing that he was happy, even just for a moment. 'I...'' Arthur was interrupted by Pearsons calls. 

''You two must be hungry. Come get yourself a bowl'' he bellowed across to you. You looked back at Arthur allowing him to finish what he was about to say. Instead he gestured for you to lead the way over to the food pot. You both grabbed a bowl of food each and took a seat around the campfire. The stew went down quickly, you were so hungry as you only had an apple to eat all day. Darkness soon covered the sky and the only light around was from the fire in front of you. Dutch began to play his gramophone loudly. The classical music filled the camp, you watched as Dutch beckoned Molly over to dance. He held her closely as they swayed to the music, you smiled at them as you saw them exchanging loving looks. Tilly then pulled Javier to join in with the dancing which he happily agreed too. You suddenly panicked, knowing if you stayed you were going to be asked to join in. You didn't mind watching but you hated dancing and the last thing you wanted to do was make a fool of yourself in front of everyone. Just as you were about to stand and slip away you felt a hand on your shoulder. 

''You are not running away this time, my girl'' Hosea stopped you in your tracks. ''Shall we?'' he held his hand out to you and chuckled at your state of panic. You had to think of an excuse and quickly. The heat rushed to your face and you could feel everyone's gaze on you. You frantically looked around you for anything or anyone to help you out of dancing. 

''Hosea I really don't think..'' he cut you off by grabbing your hand and leading you to the open space. Hosea spun you round to face him before placing his other hand around your waist. Defeated, you placed your hand on his shoulder and swayed in time with him. You weren't a bad dancer but you never enjoyed it. Your daddy used to make you dance at formal occasions with random men and you always felt awkward and fumbly. The men would always try and grab your ass or stand on your feet. 

''See it's not so bad'' Hosea assured you. ''You're a natural''. You both swayed to the music whilst others began to joined in. Mary-Beth was dancing with Kieran and Mrs Grimshaw forced Arthur to join in also. Hosea took an opportunity to spin you, you weren't expecting it and almost lost your balance which you couldn't help but giggle at when he caught you again. The second time he spun you he let go of your hand leaving you stood in front of Arthur who also looked lost. You looked over your shoulder to now see Hosea and Mrs Grimshaw dancing together. Hosea gave you a small wink before swaying off with Mrs Grimshaw. Turning back to Arthur you half expected him to walk away and sit down but instead he held his hand out to you. You paused for a split second as your heart felt like it was going to burst out of your chest before gently taking his hand. He pulled you close to him and placed his hand on your waist and you placed your hand on his shoulder. The heat from his touch radiated throughout your body and you felt the whole world disappear around you. The both of you swayed to the music gently. You looked up at his face to catch his gaze, his blue eyes were dark from the lack of light but they were soft and focused on you. A shy smile was on his face as you decided to wrap both your arms around his neck. He place both his arms around your hips and pulled you in closer until your bodies were pressed against each other. Your chest felt as though it was on fire being so close to him again. For the first time you enjoyed dancing, everything felt better when it was with Arthur. Without thinking you rested your head on his chest and listened to the beating of his heart. 

"I never took you for a dancer" Arthur spoke softly as you sawyed together. "Especially after seeing you with a gun" he chuckled. You moved your head to look back up at him. 

"I could say the same about you Mr Morgan" you teased. He held you so gently, as though you would break in his arms. "I'm full of surprises". 

"That you are" he scanned your face and your breath got caught in your mouth when his gaze landed on your lips. His lips were only inches away from each other and you felt a hunger for them. Arthur's clenched his jaw, resisting temptation. ''(Y/N)'' you heard his whisper. The sound of his voice saying your name made your body shake and you hummed in reply. ''Come with me''. You nodded almost immediately, he stepped away from you and grabbed one of your hands. Following closely behind him, you both walked out of camp and into the treeline where no one could hear you. Arthur turned to you, not releasing your hand, and scanned your face before talking with a soft voice. ''I didn't mean what I said.....I can't just forget about what happened. I guess I just didn't want things to change between us'' he paused looking at the ground. ''I just ain't good with this sorta thing....with knowin' what t'say''. 

''What do you mean Arthur?'' your throat felt dry. Every inch of you was shaking with nerves but you knew you needed to talk and now seemed to be the best chance. 

''I tried to deny the fact that I care for you (Y/N)....when people are close to me they get hurt and I don't want anything to happen to ya'' he took a deep breath before grabbing your other hand in his. ''Like I said, I'm a bad man and bad things follow me wherever I go....I can't have you caught up in that. But seein' ya everyday round camp and trying to ignore ya....it's damn well worse than tourcher'' he looks deeply into your eyes, closing the distance between the both of you. 

''You ain't a bad man Arthur'' you throw back at him. ''If you are a bad man then I'm a bad woman because I've done all the same things you have'' you pointed out. His brows furrow as you called yourself out to be as bad as him. 

"You ain't bad (Y/N). It's just... I've done this before and it didn't end well... I just don't wanna go through that again, especially not with you" his face was full of sorrow and his eyes pleaded with you to understand. 

You took in a deep breath before you mastered the courage to say what you were about to. ''Look...I ain't ever done this before. Heck, I didn't even know what these feelings I had for you were but I......I know I care for you more than I wanted to admit Arthur. The last week or so has had my mind goin' crazy, thinkin' of what to say to ya. As much as I want to ignore these feelin's I just can't. But if there is one thing you should know it's this. I ain't Mary'' you shook your head and averted your eyes to the ground. You felt the most vulnerable you had ever been. "I live the same life you do, so I ain't gonna run away from ya. I ain't gonna hurt ya, so I ask you to please not hurt me back cos I ain't good at this either" You had just laid your heart on the line and you were instantly scared of his response. Your body was shaking like a leaf and your palms had gone sweaty whilst holding his hands. Arthur tipped your chin up to look at him, a slight smile grazing his lips. 

''You ain't like any woman I've ever met'' he spoke softly scanning your face. The way he was looking at you had your heart racing and your bottom lip quivering. He leant down and your lips met in a soft kiss. His hands gently grasping the back of your neck assuring you don't pull away from him. Him kissing you again was what you had longed for since the last time. You could feel him smile against your lips which only made you smile back. It felt so right to be back in his arms again and this time he didn't pull away from you. Instead he moved you backwards until your back was gently pressed against a tree. His body was close to yours and you could feel the heat given off between the two of you. His hands moved from your neck to your waist and yours explored his brown hair. The kiss soon turned from soft to passionate. You could taste the whiskey and cigarettes on his breath and smell the smoke from the campfire on his clothes. The both of you were moving with each other perfectly. Your chest felt as thought it was about to explode with the overwhelming feeling of happiness. Your tongues now dancing together allowing for the kiss to deepen. You had to pull away to breathe for a moment, resting your forehead on his while you caught your breath. Giggling noises came from the distance but were progressively getting louder. Arthur pulled away from you and grabbed your hand before pulling you to hide behind the tree you were lent up against. You watched quietly as you saw a drunk Karen and Sean wandering through the woods, laughing at each other's jokes. From the corner of your eye you saw Arthur staring at you, you turned your attention to him. He smiled at you sweetly with the brim of his hat barley covering his rose cheeks. You smiled uncontrollably back at him knowing that this time everything would be good between the both of you. 

''We better get back to camp before someone else comes along'' you laughed as you stood out from behind the tree. Karen and Sean had gone out of view now but they had to come back at some point. The last thing you both needed was the camp asking questions before you had even figured it out yourselves. 

''I suppose'' Arthur sounded disappointed but held out his arm for you to take. You both walked back to camp quietly smiling to yourselves. As you reached your tent, you noticed the camp had gone quiet as everyone had gone to bed. ''G'night then'' Arthur turned to face you, his eyes meeting yours in a longing gaze. You quickly scanned around to see no one was watching before you placed a soft kiss on his cheek. More than anything you wanted this night to last forever but you knew it had to come to an end at some point. 

''G'night Arthur''.


	10. 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arthur and reader have finally admitted their feelings for one another.....a night under the stars is just what they need.

You walked into your tent feeling the rush of excitement wanting to burst out of you. Every inch of your body was ecstatic and you jumped around your tent quietly letting a small burst of your happiness out before you exploded. Your cheeks started to ache from smiling so much and you could feel the hot redness filling them. The last thing you expected from tonight was to end it in Arthur's arms again, with his soft lips against yours. Only this time he didn't pull away from you, he didn't leave you standing in the woods alone. You undressed into your nightwear and laid on your cot staring at the tent ceiling. Your eyes were dry from such a long day but you couldn't sleep with the thoughts of the night flooding your head. It must have been the early hours of the morning before sleep finally took over your body. When you woke up your body were sore. You hadn't had much sleep over the last couple of days because of everything being on your mind and it was starting to take it's toll. As you sat up from your cot your eyes suddenly widened as you realised that what had happened last night wasn't a dream. Quickly you pulled on your trousers and blue shirt. You fell over whilst trying to pull your boots on, rushing, eager to see Arthur. As you stepped out of your tent you saw the rest of camp was already in full flow. Everyone was already going about their daily chores, the sun was high in the sky and the morning birds had already sang their songs. You must have slept in, which was a first for you. As you scanned the camp you found that Arthur had already gotten up and left, Dutch and Bill too. Then your eyes landed on a very angry looking Mrs Grimshaw. Your eyes met which meant there was no escaping her wrath now. She marched over to you as you still stood in front of your tent, looking very much bewildered by the fact you had slept in. 

''Miss (Y/N)'' Mrs Grimshaw was now directly in front of you. ''Are you feeling well rested?'' she looked at your face sternly waiting for an answer. 

''I guess, Mrs Grimshaw'' you looked at your feet trying to ignore her gaze. 

''Good, now get to your chores. Seen as this is not a usual thing for you I will let you off'' she smiled at you. ''Don't let it happen' again'' she pointed her finger at you before marching over to Pearson. You smirked under your breath. You knew she was the one that let you sleep for so long, she must have known how little rest you were actually getting. However, she needed to act tough in camp and if anyone knew you had gotten away with it then there would be hell on. Charles and Kieran had already done all your chores with the horses so you spent the day washing clothes in the river. You didn't mind it so much when you were now able to sit on the sand and look out across the water. No one disturbed you except Sadie who came to wash the pots beside you for a bit. She was curing Pearson again for treating her like a maid. 

''I'd love to shove that stew pot up where the sun don't shine'' she giggled. ''Damn bastard''. 

''I won't be eatin' my food from that again'' you both laughed as you carried on with your chores. 

''So....'' she paused looking at you with a intrigued smile on her face. You glanced at her furrowing your brow in anticipation to what she was about to say. ''Where did you and Arthur sneak off to last night?''. You felt as if your heart momentarily stop beating and a flush of heat rose to your cheeks. 

''Sadie Adler'' you shook your head at her. ''I didn't take you for a gossipin' kinda gal''. 

''Oh I ain't but I saw the way you looked at each other whilst dancing'' her voice was soft now and joking aside. ''then you run off into the woods'' she cocked her eyebrow at you before a devilish smile appeared. ''Can't fool me. I know something goin' on. You two have been ignorin' each other for days and then suddenly you are back smilin' again. I ain't a gossip, I'm just nosey''. You couldn't help but laugh at her comments. Sadie was probably the only girl you trusted with something like this, she was the most like you. She wasn't a fan of gossip and you knew she wouldn't tell the others. Your rose cheeks had already given away your secret. ''I won't tell anyone, I promise'' she pleaded whilst motioning a cross on her heart. You scan around to make sure no one was lurking or close enough to hear your convocation. 

''Alright, alright but you don't tell a sole'' you sighed, defeated. ''I ain't good at this and to be honest I didn't want anyone knowin' until we had figured it out'' you took one more quick look around before closing the distance between you and Sadie. ''So, I kinda care for him....a lot. We've been spendin' so much time together that I didn't even realise I had feelin's for him. Nothing too excitin' happened in the woods last night. We just talked and.....Well... we kissed but that's it'' you spoke in a whisper. Sadie's jaw dropped slightly before she smiled. 

''I knew it'' she cheered quietly. ''So why the hell were you both igorin' each other for so long?''. You explained the situation to her and spoke about all the confusing feeling you had. Sadie listened to every word intently, you didn't realise how relieving it was to actually speak to someone about everything. It was as though a big weight had been lifted off of you and you could understand your feelings a lot more. You had learnt to keep your feeling to yourself but being able to talk to someone made you feel so much lighter. 

''Well I'm glad, for both of your sakes, that you worked it out'' she smiled sweetly at you. ''Can't believe out of all the men in the world to be sweet on, Arthur Morgan, was the one for ya'' she teased you. You both giggle as you finished the last of the clothes that needed washing before gathering them up and heading back into camp. Sadie stayed at the river side, trying to prolong facing Pearson again. As you were hanging up the wet clothes to dry you heard Uncle call you which drew your attention to him. He was stood by one of the big trees in camp with Arthur, who must have returned from his job this morning. Uncle also called Bill and Charles over to him which made you wonder if you were going to be asked to go on a job. You slowly made your way over to the four men smiling sweetly as you and Arthur briefly made eye contact. 

''What are you talkin' about?'' Bill asked, clearly irritated by the old man. 

''Arthur, is above a little stick up I heard about'' Uncle teased which Arthur immediately took offence to and was quick to defend himself. 

''No I'm not'' he growled. 

''But you just said.....'' 

''Hey I'll do it'' he cut Uncle off before giving a devilish grin. ''As long as you ride with us'' he pointed at Uncle who's face went pale. You, Charles and Bill all glanced at each other amused by the shock on Uncles face. 

''I got a serious medical condition'' he fumbles for an excuse. Arthur started to laugh in the old mans face. 

''Yes, you are a compulsive liar'' Arthur chuckled whilst taking a drag from his cigarette. 

''No need to be like that'' Uncle turned his attention to you and Charles. ''Charles, (Y/N), have I ever lied to you?''. 

''I hardly know you'' Charles responded confused by the question. 

''Don't look at me, I've been here for less time then Charles'' you smirked. Arthur wouldn't back down, if Uncle didn't ride with you all, then the job wasn't happening. It didn't take long before Uncle gave in and agreed to help before mounting up. He explained that it was a supply wagon carrying payroll which supposedly won't be guarded. 

''As long as we get paid or you get shot, I'm happy'' Arthur bellowed before putting out his cigarette and mounting up. You couldn't help but giggle under your breath at the way he antagonised the old man. Charles, Bill and yourself also mounted your horses and followed Uncle out of camp. You rode beside Arthur and noticed the Deputy badge pinned to his shirt. 

''Law man now, huh?'' you teased pointing out the golden badge. 

''Seems like it'' he smirked back at you. ''Somethin' to do with Dutch's plan apparently''. 

''I hope you don't get too attached to it or you'll be takin' us all in yourself''. 

''I guess we will have to see'' he teased you back. Your heart lit up when he looked at you, he always managed to spark something warm inside your chest whenever your eyes met. When you reached the location that the wagon would be passing through your mind was elsewhere, so much so that you almost ran into Charles' horse. Your cheeks blushed with embarrassment as Arthur watched you fumble back into reality with a smirk on his face. The five of you waited patiently for the wagon to appear over the hill. Uncle was right, it wasn't guarded, just the driver and one other man. You rode over as it turned off at the crossroad. Bill heckled them to pull over and Uncle stopped his horse in front of them so they had to stop. Bill had his gun on one man and you had yours pointed at the other while Charles and Arthur looked in the back and grabbed what they could. You looked over your shoulder and saw another wagon quickly coming down the track. 

''Shit, we've got company'' you yelled. The wagon coming down the track was being followed by men on horses with guns who had spotted you trying to rob the other wagon. Before you knew it they were coming after you. ''Charles, Arthur, hurry up. We need to get outta here''. They quickly jumped from the wagon and mounted there horses before the five of you galloped away from the on coming attack. Bullets were flying past you, barely missing you and the men were gaining speed. You spurred Dallas into a faster gallop as you grabbed your rifle from over your shoulder. Arthur and Bill were already shooting back at the men who were on your tail. You turned in your saddle, hoping Dallas would follow Uncle and Charles, as you began to fire back at the men. A bullet flew right past your shoulder and you aimed your rifle at the man who fired it, taking him down with one headshot. The three of you managed to pick off a couple of them but there were too many. 

''Quick, get of the trail. Into the woods'' Uncle called out to you all. You turned back in your saddle and followed him with Arthur close behind you. The five of you galloped through the trees, getting hit from small branches that you were unable to duck under. A small house with a barn was just on the other side of the trees which would be a good place to hide and lay low. You followed the boys by dismounting Dallas and giving him a small slap to flee the area before going into the barn to take cover and rest. For now it looked like you had lost them but you knew the best thing was to wait until it was dark before leaving for camp. You went to the back of the barn, hidden behind a stall wall, and sat down with your back leaning against the wooden panel. This would be the last place to look if someone came in as it had great cover, just in case you fell asleep. The others stayed at the front of the barn, out of view from you but you could hear their mumblings. Charles was on watch and you soon heard the light snoring coming from Uncle and Bill. 

''You alright?'' you looked up to see Arthur's tall figure stood looking down over you. 

''Yeah, how about yourself?'' you asked in a hushed voice. He came and sat right next to you, not leaving much space between the both of you. 

''I'm alright'' he smiled sweetly at you. ''Shouldn't be too long till it gets dark and we can get outta here. He's a fool that old man''. 

''Better then delivering letters'' you smirked trying to lighten the mood. Arthur nodded in agreement. You wanted to carry on the convocation but you knew it was better to keep quiet in case there were any men looking for you outside. Instead you shuffled closer to him and rested your head on his broad shoulder. He slightly tensed at first but then rested his cheek on your head as he relaxed. It was a good job the others couldn't see you now or they would definitely know something was going on between the two of you. The comfort of having him right beside you meant you slowly kept on falling in and out of sleep. You felt his warmth as you leant against him, each deep breath he took and the hitch in his breath whenever you moved because he didn't want to disturb you. When you woke up fully, you realised Arthur had also fallen asleep next to you with his head still resting on yours but it had gotten dark outside so you knew you had to wake him. Gently you placed your hand on his chest and shook him. He was an extremely light sleeper and that was enough to alert him, he sat upright before turning to you. His eyes looked deep into yours as he moved his hand to gently caress your cheek before placing a light kiss on your lips. The small gesture ignited the warm feeling in your chest and you couldn't help the shy smile you gave him as he stood up to wake the others. You took a deep breath to remind yourself of the situation at hand, rather then keeping your mind on Arthur, and stood up to return to the others. There was a light coming from the house as a couple of men approached the front door. It was a couple of the men from earlier asking the owners of the property if they had noticed anyone running through here. 

''Damn. L-L-L-L-Let's just....Keep this calm'' Arthur instructed. ''See what happens''. You all took cover in the barn hiding behind pillars and stall walls. You found yourself in the same place you had been in all night, crouched down, occasionally looking around the stall wall to see what was happening. The owner pointed out that he heard noises at the barn where you were currently taking cover. Two men approached the barn quietly and began to look round. The five of you remained still as the men searched the barn. 

''The place looks empty to me'' one of the men shouted to the other. He was about to walk away when Bill kicked an empty can by his foot which caused the man to turn back realising we were all hidden there. God damn it Bill. Is he not capable of staying hidden. 

''Shit'' Bill cursed as he shot the man at the front of the barn. The men from the house were alerted by this and started firing on all of you. You got up from your cover and ran to the front of the barn to shoot at the men coming from the house. It was dark and misty which made it hard for you to see where the men firing at you were coming from. You could only see outlines of people as they moved and they now had you surrounded. Charles and yourself were still based at the front of the barn, gunning down anyone coming from the house while Arthur, Bill and Uncle took on the others coming from the side. The men were coming out of nowhere and there was no way of telling how many were firing at you. There was a bright glow coming from the corner of the barn, you turned to see that one of the men had thrown there lanterns which had smashed setting fire to the dry wood. 

''Shit.....Fire'' Charles shouted to all of you. The fire grew rapidly, like an untameable stallion rising up. Before you knew it the fire had spread to the roof of the barn and the smoke was burning at the back of your throat everytime you took a breath. 

''If we don't get outta here soon....we're gonna be charcoal'' Arthur was now by your side, blocking the small bits of debris that was falling from the roof from hitting you. You took a step back, looking up to the roof that was about to concave and engulf you all in flames. 

''This way'' you herd Bill call out to you from the back of the barn. He had found a small opening that you could climb through to get out. The heat from the burning wood was kissing your skin and you could barely see through the smoke. You followed Bill and Uncle out of the small gap with Charles and Arthur right behind you. Taking a deep breath of fresh air as you ran back towards the trees for cover. You decided to split up into two groups. Arthur was with Uncle and Charles with Bill. 

''(Y/N), with us'' Charles beckoned you to follow him. You and Arthur quickly glanced at each other not wanting to leave one another but you had no time to think or argue. Following Charles and Bill, you quickly ran through the woods and tried to find some cover. "If you do anything stupid Mr Williamson, you're on your own" Charles threatened as Bill scoffed back at him. There were some big boulders that the three of you managed to hide behind. You managed to catch your breath while crouching down for cover, listening to any oncoming people. A small group of men soon appeared in the tree line with their rifles at the ready. The three of you remained quiet as you aimed your guns at the men walking in your direction. You waited for Charles to give you the signal to shoot but you heard shots being fired from deeper in the woods. They were coming from where Arthur and Uncle had gone. The group of men turned their attention to the sounds. 

''Come on boys. That way'' one of them spoke up. Just as they were about to run off to the noises. Charles stood up shouting at you to fire. All three of you were now shooting at the group of men. They immediately took cover but between the three of you, you managed to take some of them out. Your shots were now useless as the bullets were bouncing off the trees. The best way of getting to them was to flank them. You shot Charles a quick look which he nodded at, knowing exactly what needed to be done. Charles and Bill both stood trying to draw the men's fire as you took the opportunity to sneak round and attack them from behind. You kept crouched down as you quietly made your way around them, keeping yourself in the shadows. There were four men left and you had a good shot on all of them from your new position. You took cover behind a tree and noticed Arthur and Uncle had now joined Charles and Bill behind the rock. Arthur managed to kill one of the four men as the man glanced out from behind his cover. Leaving only three to deal with. You aimed your rifle at the first man, taking him out smoothly. The other two men turned to you as you had now given away your position. Shots were now being aimed at you, you crouched behind the tree for cover knowing that this would give the boys the opportunity to approach them and take out the last two men. Arthur and Bill did just that and the two men fell down dead. 

''We all still alive?'' Arthur asked. You stood up from behind the tree and regrouped with the four men. 

''Just about'' Bill answered gruffly. 

''Yeah, I'll deal with you later'' Arthur turned his attention to Uncle. His brow was furrowed and his face had gone red with anger. 

''We got some money, didn't we?'' Uncle defended himself. 

''Leave it, go on, get out of here'' Arthur shooed them all away. ''Everyone split up, come on, get going''. 

''Good luck gents, (Y/N)'' Charles nodded to you and you watched as they all left in different directions. You were about to run off in another direction when Arthur gabbed your arm. 

''Not you'' he smirked. ''You're comin' with me Darlin'.'' the rumble in his tone made you shiver. You followed him through the woods as he whistled for his horse. Dallas was nowhere to be seen but you suspected he would have gone back to camp. Siego came cantering over, through the trees to you both . Arthur mounted then held out his hand to help you to sit up, behind the saddle. Once you were both on you wrapped your arms round Arthur's waste to keep balanced and he kicked Siego into a steady canter. You had plenty of practise riding bareback so keeping stable on the back of the horse wasn't too hard a task for you. The smell of cigarettes and whiskey reminted from Arthur's shirt as you clung onto him. ''You alright back there'' he shouted to you as he placed on hand to rest gently on your lower thigh. 

''Yeah, just fine'' you smiled at his touch. ''Where are we goin'?''. 

''I wanna show you somethin'.'' you rode together quietly until Arthur turned off the track and up a steep hill through some trees. You stared blankly through the trees to try and understand why he had brought you to this place. ''Here'' he pulled Siego to a halt and dismounted before helping you down. ''Follow me'' he pulled out his lantern and lit it as you followed him up the rest of the hill until you came to a clearing where Arthur stopped. It was a small patch of open grass right on the very peak of the hill. You turned to him, cocking an eyebrow at him, confused to why he brought you to this little area. He smirked when he saw your confusion. ''Look up''. You did as he said and looked into the pitch black night sky. 

''I don't see much, just a couple stars'' you pointed out. 

''Keep lookin'.'' Arthur spoke softly as he blew out the lantern. Suddenly the black sky was filled with millions of stars that filled the darkness with light and colour. You had never seen anything so beautiful in your whole life. Each star was visible and glowing so brightly that you didn't need any lights to see. Your jaw dropped and your eyes widened at the spectacle of the night sky. 

''It's beautiful'' you spoke breathlessly. ''How did you find this place?'' you didn't want to look away in case your eyes were playing tricks on you. 

''I stumbled across it one night as I was out thinkin'. Thought you might like it'' Arthur sat in the grass. You decided to lay down next to him and stare at the sky, he followed you and laid his back on the grass. 

''What were you thinkin' bout?'' you turned to look at him. The light from the stars twinkled in his eyes as he faced you too. 

''You'' he admitted. He lent up on one elbow so he could hover almost above you. ''You're all I ever think about'' he paused looking deeply into your eyes. That warm feeling in your chest came back, you bit your bottom lip whilst he looked over you. Every inch of you was trembling with a mix of excitement and nerves. Heat rushed to your cheeks and you could feel flutters in your stomach. He was so close to you that you could feel his breath on your skin. You longed for him, looking at his lips, only inches away from yours. He took your glances as a plea and leant in to kiss you gently. Your whole body began to tingle as he moved his free hand to your hip. You moved your hand and tangled your fingers in his light brown hair. As both your lips moved against each others the kiss slowly became more intimate. Arthur's hand started to wonder from your hip down your thigh to your knee. He grasped a hold of the back of your knee and brought your leg over his hips until you were straddling him. Your torso now pressed against his and using your elbows on either side of his head to balance yourself. You didn't break the kiss, still desperate for one another. The feeling of his warm body in-between your legs made your thighs burn. His hands started to wonder up and down your body leaving warm trails where he touched. It was perfect, just the two of you under the beautiful night sky. The way you felt in this moment was something you had never experienced in your entire life. It was as though everything you have ever needed in life was right there with you and nothing could break you apart. You could feel his heart racing in his chest as you were laid over him. Each time you took a breath you would look into each others eyes and melt back into the kiss again. The kiss started to become passionate and hungry for one another. Both your tongue's dancing together in synchronisation. You felt how hungry he was for you as his manhood grew under his trousers. Suddenly, you panic. All the good that you were just feeling was flushed from your body and panic overtook it. Heat rushed from your body to your skin leaving you feeling cold inside but sweating in pure fear. You broke the kiss, got off his hips and stood up in a mad rush. Each breath you took seemed to get harder and harder until you felt like you were suffocating. 

"Whoa, easy" Arthur was by your side before you knew it. He wrapped his arms around you and pulled you close to his chest whilst whispering softly to you. You could feel the tears stinging your eyes and you buried your face in his shirt, gasping for breath. He held you while you cried trying to calm you down. "Easy. It's alright. I'm here" he whispered to you. You listened to each word he said, hearing the raspiness from his thick acent. As you breathed heavily, you took in his smell and the feeling of his muscled chest beneath your fingertips. Focusing on him, every breath he took and sound he made brought you slowly out of you panic until you managed to catch your breath. He didn't let his grip on you go until your breathing was back to normal and the sounds of your whimpers had stopped. Quietly he took a step back just releasing you enough so he could see your face. "You alright? I didn't mean to scare ya" he spoke softly. You raised your head to look at him. Your eyes were bloodshot from crying and small wet trails ran down your cheeks. 

"It ain't your fault" your voice was shaken. "I'm just damaged goods" you shook you head as you stepped away from him. You were so embarrassed and frustrated by your blind panic that you daren't look at him. You found a spot on the grass and sat down with knees hugged to your chest. Arthur came and sat by your side again and you hid your face from him in your knees. 

"You ain't damaged goods" he nudged you, trying to cheer you up. "Wanna talk about it?" you looked up from your knees to catch his concerned look. You felt sick to your stomach at the thought of how you just made him feel. He had done everything to make this moment perfect and you screwed it up. You owed him an explanation. 

"It wasn't your fault. I guess I just panicked..." you paused to take a deep breath. "I've only ever consented to this sorta thing once and that was before.... For a long time I was forced into lettin' those men touch me and use me at their own pleasure. They would hold me down or beat me until I gave in. Or they would just force themselves upon me. I guess I just associate being touched in that way to....well, to back then. It wasn't you at all Arthur" you looked into his eyes. He looked at you the same way he once did when you were tied to the wagon, you saw the sorrow in his expression. Tears threatened to leave your eyes again. You wanted more than anything to be intimate with Arthur in this way but ghosts from your past haunted your mind. "I've never been more comfortable with anyone before. I just got memories that flash through my head and I just panicked. I'm sorry". 

"You have nothin' to be sorry for (Y/N)" he cut you off. "What happened to you, I'm surprised you let me touch you at all" he gave you a sweet smile as he laid down on the grass. "Come 'er" he held his arm out for you to lay down with him. You laid on your side next to him with your head on his shoulder and arm over his chest. "We don't have to rush into anythin' your not comfortable with. I promise you, no one will ever hurt ya again, not as long as I'm around" he pulled you in tighter to his body and you felt safe and secure. You were so glad he understood, he didn't force himself upon you because he was in the mood. All your fears slowly drifted away as he held you in his warm embrace. You knew you could trust Arthur but now he confirmed that he would never hurt you. Not just with his words but by his actions. The night sky was still full of bright stars, glistening down for just the both of you to enjoy. You spoke sweetly to one another for a couple of hours until you felt your eyes getting heavy. You can't remember when you fell asleep but you knew you had never felt more comfortable then in Arthur's arm's that night. As though nothing in the world could hurt you as long as he was there.


	11. 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After spending the night under the stars, reader spends the day with John and Micah makes a roudy return to camp.

The morning light blinded you when you woke. You had to squint to allow your eyes time to get used to the brightness. Waking up in your tent was always slightly dark and gloomy but you had slept under the stars last night. You had woken up exactly how you fell asleep, laid in the grass opening surrounded by trees. With your head resting on Arthur's broad chest, your legs were now entangled slightly and his arms wrapped around you pulling your body close to his. His body was radiating heat which only made you cling onto him more. It had been a cold night and you hadn't made a campfire so that you could see as many stars in the night sky as possible. Waking up in Arthur's embrace sparked a fire in your chest and your smile beamed from ear to ear. You tilted your head up slowly to see that he was also awake. 

''Mornin' beautiful'' his voice was husky as he had only just woken up. He smiled as he looked down to see your face looking up at him. Arthur's eyes were bright in the morning light, he looked well rested for once. His words made your heart flutter and you could feel the warm rush of blood to your cheeks. 

''Mornin' Arthur'' you spoke sweetly. He leant down to place a kiss on your forehead. The both of you laid together for a while holding each other closely. You never wanted this moment to end however, knew you would both have to go back to camp eventually. You sat up, leaving Arthur's arms, making you shiver as the cold air brushed over you. ''I don't want to go back'' you admitted. "Not yet, anyway" Arthur sat up next to you smirking at your comment. 

''Me neither'' he smiled nudging you slightly with his elbow. ''But you need some food. We didn't have much to eat yesterday so you must be starvin'.'' he stood up and held out his hand to you. The mention of food made your stomach growl, you had completely forgotten about food whilst being completely entranced in Arthur's company. You took Arthur's hand and he helped you to your feet. As you were about to turn and walk over to Siego, you felt Arthur's hand pull on yours spinning you back into his arms. His arms were now wrapped around your waist, pulling your body into his. Arthur looked deeply into your eyes. ''You ain't gettin' away that easy'' he smiled cheekily before leaning down and kissing you. Each kiss the two of you shared felt even better then the last. You wrapped your arms around his neck and stood on your tiptoes to allow the kiss to deepen. It was like the world around you disappeared, leaving just the two of you together. You were unsure when the next time the both of you would be alone together so you had to make the most of the time you had. A nickering sounds jumped you both back into reality. You broke the kiss to see what had caused the noise, with your hand placed on your holster ready for someone to appear. When you realised it was just Siego you both began to laugh at your reactions. 

''Come on, Cowboy'' you tapped the brim of Arthur's hat causing it to cover his eyes. He released you from his embrace to sort his hat back on top of his head. You took this opportunity to run to Siego and mount the saddle. Arthur smirked and cocked an eyebrow at you. 

''And what do you think you're doin'?'' he chuckled at you. 

''It's my turn to ride and your turn to sit there lookin' pretty'' you teased him. He shook his head at you with an amused smile. You held your hand out to help him up as he mounted to sit behind you. He placed his hands on your waist and you couldn't help the smirk on your face. 

"Shut up" Arthur scoffed as you rode back to camp. You could tell he wasn't enjoying being the passenger on his own horse which only made you tease him more. 

The camp wasn't far from where you were. You hoped, as you rode into camp, that you and Arthur would be able to sneak off to on occasions to spend time alone under the stars. You both were very private people so you weren't too keen on telling the whole camp about your relationship. The thought of being pestered and asked questions on the subject was daunting. Talking about your feelings to one another was hard enough, never mind telling others as well. You both decided for now to keep your relationship between the two of you and when you were ready you would tell the others. 

''Who's there?'' Javier called out to you. 

''Arthur, you dumbass'' Arthur yelled back. You smirked at his comment as Javier rolled his eyes. 

''Welcome back'' Javier spoke sarcastically before turning back to watch the track into camp. You both dismounted and you hitched Siego to the post. The smell of food made your stomach cramp as you made your way over to Pearson's cart. Arthur passed you some bread with jam and an apple before grabbing his own food. 

''Go on, get yourself a coffee. I need to go talk to Lenny'' Arthur gestured at the young man sitting on a log looking out over the water. You nodded in reply before heading to sit by the fire. Charles was sitting on one of the logs as you made your way over to sit beside him. 

''You're alive then?'' he smiled up at you as you took your seat. 

''Just about'' you smirked as you began to tuck into your food. 

"Good, I was beginning to wonder where you had gotten too" Charles was busy stringing his bow. "I nearly went out looking for you this morning" he looked at you relieved. 

"Thanks Charles, I just got lost in the dark. Luckily, Arthur found me" you lied. Your cheeks were aching from smiling at the thought of last night as you ate your food. Charles was too focused on his bow to notice. You glanced over to the horses when the sudden realisation that you still hadn't checked to see if Dallas had returned to camp flooded you. You stuffed the last bit of bread into your mouth as you stood from the log and ran over to the horses. ''Shit, shit, shit'' you whispered under your breath as you couldn't see him with the others. 

''You looking for Dallas?'' Charles ran after you. 

''Yes, have you seen him?'' your voice was slightly panicked as you scanned the camp. 

''No, I haven't but I'm sure he will be fine'' he reassured you. 

''What's going on?'' Hosea asked as he approached you with John following close behind. 

''Dallas hasn't come back'' you took a deep breath to try and relax. You know that to some people it would seem silly to get worried over a horse but Dallas was more than that. He was not only a very good horse but he was a gift from Arthur. 

''Well I ain't doing anything today so we can go find him'' John patted Charles on the shoulder as he made his way over to Old Boy. "You comin' Charles?". 

''I can't, I've got to go hunting or Pearson will never stop pestering me'' Charles sighed. 

''Take Silver Dollar, my girl. I'm sure you and John will find him soon enough'' Hosea pointed to his horse. He must have sensed the concern in your voice as he tried to reassure you. ''Now, he's got a good spirit but don't let him get the better of you'' he took you over to his horse and patted him on the neck as you mounted up. 

''Thank you Hosea. I'll take good care of him'' you smiled at him. 

''I know you will'' he patted your leg. ''You better get going''. You looked over to see John was mounted and ready to go so you spurred Silver Dollar into a trot and headed out of camp. John followed closely behind you until you came to the open road where he rode next to you. 

''So where do we start?'' John asked. 

''I have no idea'' you sighed feeling like this might be a lost cause. ''He could be anywhere by now''. 

''We will find him, don't worry'' John smiled assuringly at you. ''Where did you last see him? We can start there''. You nodded and told John what happened yesterday. With that you rode out to the house where you last saw Dallas. The both of you stayed hidden in the woods as you approached the house. You didn't want to get caught by any patrols that may still be lerking in the area. The barn where you had hidden only hours ago was now a pile of ash. You could smell the burnt timber and the smoke that was still rising to the air. Bodies were laying motionless in the grass that hadn't been moved yet. It looked as though no one was around but you didn't want to spend too much time lingering just in case. ''Looks like you had a fun night'' John smirked at you as you glanced around to see any sign of the missing horse. 

''I wouldn't have put it that way'' you glanced at him innocently. ''I think he went this way, through the woods'' you pointed in the direction away from the house. John took the lead and followed in the direction you pointed. He managed to find some hoof prints in the soft ground below. You both followed them as it was the only lead you had. 

''So how are you holdin' up? Last time we spoke you were drunk as hell'' he chuckled at you. You shook your head as you pinched the bridge of your nose. 

''I'm alright, don't remind me'' you smirked. ''I never thanked you for looking after me John. I would have been a lot worse the next mornin' if it weren't for you''. 

''Ahh It's the least I can do'' John smiled sweetly at you. 

''How about yourself? How are you holding up?'' you asked as you scanned the floor, making sure you were still following the right tracks. 

''I'm as good as I can be'' John replied with his eyes hidden by the brim of his hat. You sensed something was off with him but you couldn't quite tell what it was. 

''Is something wrong?'' you questioned shyly, scanning his face for his reaction. For the first time in a long time you properly looked at John. His deep cuts were now just healed scars across his face and lip. His black hair just grazing his shoulders but was mostly hidden by his dark grey hat. John had dark features and short black stubble gracing his face. He was only in his mid twenties but looked like he had lived many lives already. You could understand why Abigail felt the way she did about John, he was clearly a very handsom man. He was smaller in fame compared to Arthur and Charles but he was still well built and strong. He let out a long sigh before looking back at you. John's eyes caught yours and you could see the sadness in them. 

''It's Jack and Abigail. I know I haven't been great to either of them but whenever I try I just seem to mess things up. We just fight constantly and I'm tired of it'' he shook his head turning his gaze to the floor again. ''I don't even know how to talk to my own son'' he scoffed. 

''I'm sorry John, It ain't a situation I know a lot about'' you paused. You knew how hard everything was for both John and Abigail. They hadn't gotten off to the best start when John took off and left both Abigail and Jack for a whole year. John was now trying to amend his mistakes but Abigail still held a grudge, which you could understand. ''I know it's tiring but don't give up on em. They need you more then you know. Abigail is just givin' you a hard time because she's been through a lot. It ain't right but you have to understand the reasons why she's actin' like she is'' you gave John a weak smile. You wanted to be there for him, much like how he is always there for you but you had no idea what you could say to help. 

''Yeah I guess'' he smiled back. ''What an idiot I have been. I shouldn't have run off like that but I guess I just wasn't ready for such a commitment''. 

''You'll make up for it. I know you will'' you looked deeply into his eyes to try and assure him that everything will work itself out. 

"We will see. I wish she was as easy to speak to as you, (Y/N)" John chuckled. 

"I..." You were cut off by a loud screech coming from deeper in the woods. It sounded like an animal in pain and without thinking you spurred the horses on in the direction it was coming from. As you approached you could hear the screeching getting louder. At the bottom of a hill, hidden behind some trees you spotted Dallas struggling to move. He had his leg trapped in a snare set out by hunters to catch game. Quickly, you dismounted and ran over to him. The leg that was caught was bleeding from where the wire was cutting deeper into his leg. You could see the white of his eye, he was breathing heavily as he was panicking. He was trying to break free from the trap which only tightened the wire around his leg. ''Whoa, calm down boy. It's alright'' you managed to grab the reins and pat his neck to try and calm him down. John was looking over the trap to try and find where the wire was tied so that he could release it. You were flooded with guilt as you looked into Dallas' terrified face. He had been here all night, scared and in pain, while you were cuddling up to Arthur. John managed to release the wire, causing Dallas to try and bolt as he felt he was now free. You clung to the reins as he battled with you to let him go. ''Steady boy. You're okay now'' you spoke calmly. It wasn't long before Dallas calmed enough for John to remove the wire from his leg. 

''There you are fella'' he patted the black stallion. ''See, he's alright'' he assured you as he threw the wire to the side. You looked at the deep gash around Dallas' pastern where the wire had been tightened. It wasn't deep but it looked sore and could get infected if not treated properly. 

''Lets get you back to camp boy'' you felt relieved. You decided to lead Dallas back so tied his reins to the horn of Hosea's saddle before mounting Silver Dollar. ''Didn't think I would see you again, my friend'' you giggled as you and John headed back towards camp. ''Thank you for helpin' me find him John'' you shouted to John who was leading the way back. 

''My pleasure'' he smiled back at you whilst tipping his hat. ''I'm just glad we found him. I know how much you care for him". The two of you rode slowly as Dallas was hobbling slightly on his injured leg. John began telling you stories of when he was young and how Dutch taught him how to read and write. You laughed along as he told you how Dutch would loose his patients when John couldn't get the hang of it. It was early evening by the time you had made it back to camp. You were greeted by Hosea and Dutch at the hitching posts. 

''Ahh so you found him'' Dutch bellowed over to you as you approached them. 

''Yeah, he was caught on a snare, no wonder he didn't come back'' you nodded as you dismounted Silver Dollar. ''Thank you for lettin' me borrow him Hosea'' you untied Dallas' reins from the saddle and hitched him on the post. 

''Not a problem my girl. I gather he looked after you well'' he smiled at you as you tied his horse to the post. 

"He did indeed" you turned to patt Silver Dollar on his neck and feed him a carrot from your bag. 

''John, (Y/N), I have a job for you both'' Dutch caught your attention. You all gathered round the hitching post as Dutch explained the job. ''I need you both to look into something for me. Sheriff Grey told me about a couple of horses at the Braithwaite property. I don't know the in's and out's but if you could go to the Greys plantation at some point to find out more, I think there will be some money in it for us'' Dutch's voice was eager when he mentioned the money. 

''Sure, Dutch'' you nodded. 

''We can go tomorrow mornin'. First thing'' John agreed. 

''Brilliant. I knew you two would be up to the job'' Dutch exclaimed as he patted you both on the shoulder. ''Oh, take Javier with you too'' he instructed before him and Hosea took their leave. You turned your attention back to Dallas' cut, luckily the bleeding had stopped now so you grabbed some water to clean the wound. John stayed with you as he brushed down Old Boy and Charles came to help when he got back from hunting. He gave you some herbs to put on the cut to stop infections which you gently applied to Dallas' leg. Once you were done, the three of you made your way back into camp to get some food. You noticed that Micha was back. He hadn't been at camp since Arthur had broken him out of jail but you saw him sat by the fire as you made your way over. You had only ever spoken to Micha once or twice but you always remembered him being cruel when you were tied to the wagon all those weeks ago. He used to threaten to kill you or would spit at you as he walked by. Nothing about the man was likable to you, so you were not so pleased he was back. 

''Scarface, you happy to see me back?'' Micha directed his question at John as he chuckled under his breath. 

''Micha, I would have preferred to see you hang'' John spat back at him as you all sat around the fire. 

''Oh, no need to be like that'' Micha threw his hands in the air in defence. You kept quiet, you didn't want to draw his attention to you so you just ate your food silently. By the time you had finished your stew and a bottle of beer the rest of camp had joined you round the fire. Sadie and Tilly came and sat next to you and you spoke to them about where you eventually found Dallas. Arthur also joined the group to sit around the fire, you looked up to see him sat opposite you. You caught his eyes on you and you shared a shy smile before turning your attention to the convocations you were in. Although you knew why it wasn't the best idea to have your feelings for each other public knowledge, you hated the idea of not being able to hold him or kiss him whilst you were in camp. You longed for his attention and seeing him sat across from you only made you crave him more. 

''How are things with you and Arthur?'' Sadie nudged you with her elbow, keeping her voice hushed. Panicked at the mention of your relationship, you looked round to see that Tilly had now turned her attention to Sean and Lenny. Once you realised It was only you and Sadie talking, you couldn't help the blushed smile that crossed your face. 

''Things are good'' you whispered back glancing over at Arthur. He was talking with John and Bill as he smoked on a cigarette. The light from the cigarette end would illuminate his eyes, from the shadow cast by the bim of his hat, every time he took a drag. 

''He keeps looking over at you'' Sadie teased and you turned your attention back to her. ''You're both gonna get found out you know. It's so damn obvious'' she glanced between you and Arthur. 

''I don't think everyone is as observant as you Sadie'' you giggled glancing round the rest of camp. ''I'm pretty sure if anyone thought anything, either Karen or Mary-Beth would have asked by now. They have only just stopped asking me if I'm sweet on anyone'' you both giggled and you heard your stomach growl. You were still hungry even after a bowl of stew and you remembered having a tin of biscuits in your saddle bag. As your stomach started to growl louder you decided the pack of biscuits were too tempting not to have so you excused yourself to go and get them. You walked over to the horses and grabbed the tin from your saddle bag, checking on Dallas as you passed him. On your way back to the fire you were met by Micha. His blonde hair was covered by the white hat he wore and his beady eyes were looking straight at you. He had clearly had a bit too much to drink. He was stumbling around as he walked in your direction. ''Micha'' you greeted him as you walked by. Your intentions were to walk straight by him and ignore any comments he made but his hand was quick to grab your arm and pull you back in front of him. 

''That's no way to greet me girl'' he growled at you. The smell of liquor on his breath was overwhelming and his grip on your arm tightened. ''You're a pretty one ain't ya. Better than when you were tied to that wagon....Although I must admit you looked just as nice tied up'' he snickered as he looked at you up and down with hunger in his eyes. You pulled your arm from his grasp forcefully and he almost lost his balance. 

''Go to hell Micha'' you spat back at him. A cruel grin appeard his face as you spoke to him. It was as though he liked it when people dispised him. He regained his balance and blocked your way back to camp by towering over you. 

''I like a girl with a bit of fire'' he smirked and grabbed your throat, holding it tightly. ''I'll show you how you treat a real man'' he whispered in your ear. His breath ran cold down your neck and your body tensed. You used all the force you could muster to slap him across the face but he intercepted your arm before you could make an impact. His laugh was taunting you which only made you more angry, your knee came up to hit him in his stomach and he released his grip on you as he grasped his belly. ''Bitch, ain't you'' his amusement faded which was replaced by pure anger and you were the one in the firing line. You reached for your pistol to defend yourself but you had taken your gun belt off as you ate, leaving it by the fire. As you looked up from your empty hip, Micha had reached for his knife and was already holding it at your throat. He leant into you and took a deep breath in, taking in your smell before smiling devilishly at you. "Ain't so tough without a gun, are ya?". Your heart was racing as you had nothing to defend yourself with. The metal of his knife blade against your neck was cold and sent a shiver down your spine. 

"Just you wait" you taunted him as you felt the hilt of your own knife in your back pocket. You were about to pull it on him when the distinct crack of a pistol being cocked came from behind Micha. 

''Get your goddamn hands off her Micha'' Arthur growled. He was standing with the barrel of his pistol aimed at Micha's head. The sound of his angered voice bellowed through camp, and conversation were suddenly silenced. All the camp's attention had turned to the three of you and Micha remained unmoved. 

''Come on Cowpoke, I'm just havin' a bit of fun here'' Micha kept the knife on your throat but his attention was on Arthur. 

''Fun's over'' Arthur moved in closer with a darkness in his eyes as he looked at Micha. His gun was now placed against Micha's temple and his finger ready at the trigger. You glanced between the two men as Micha weighed up his options. He turned back to you before removing his knife from your neck and putting it back in his belt. Arthur then lowered his gun and placed it into the halter at his hip. John, Dutch and Sadie had made their way over, after hearing the commotion in case they had to intervene. You took a deep breath in releasing your grip on the hilt of your knife as Micha stepped away from you. He sighed loudly before laughing at Arthur. 

''If I didn't know you any better I would have said you cared for this girl, Mr Morgan. You're going soft'' his voice was slurred. Micha stumbled on his way to square up to Arthur. He stood directly in front of him and you watched as Arthur towered above him. 

''I should 'av left you in jail to hang'' Arthur spat back. His brow was furrowed and his jaw was clenched. Micha cocked his eyebrow with a smile on his face. 

''So what's she like in bed?'' Micha ignored his comment, he knew he was getting under Arthur's skin and he was enjoying the attention. Arthur's fists clenched shut. You glanced at John to try and stop this madness but he looked between you and Arthur, open mouthed, at what Micha was suggesting. You were about to grab Arthur yourself and walk away, Micha was not worth the time and you had enough of his torments. ''Send her to my tent when you're done, she looks like a wild one'' Micha sniggered. That was all it took to break Arthur's temper. His face turned red and his fist came up and hit Micha in the jaw as hard as he could. Micha fell to the floor with a thud. Dutch and John were quick to grab Arthur's arms and hold him back before he did any further damage. 

"Touch her again and I'll give you more then a broken nose" Arthur threatened as he was getting pulled away by John and Dutch. The rest of camp were staring at the scene playing out in front of them. You stood there frozen, unaware of what to do. The damage had already been done. Although you know you shouldn't have, you felt a deep satisfaction watching Micha be knocked onto his arse. 

''That is enough'' Dutch shouted as he pulled Arthur away from Micha. ''Micha, go get cleaned up. Arthur, go calm down'' he gestured to the both of them. Micha's nose was running with blood from the impact. He fumbled to his feet and walked straight back into camp to clean up while Arthur marched into the woods away from everyone. You were left standing with Dutch, John and Sadie watching as the two men strode away. ''(Y/N), you alright?'' Dutch asked you as he placed a hand on your shoulder. You nodded in response, still trying to process what had just happened. "Good, I'm going to go have a chat with Micha" Dutch informed you as he followed the beaten man back into camp. 

''What the hell was that about?'' John asked. He glanced at you catching your eye before he averted his gaze to the floor. There was a concerned expression on his face but for some reason he wouldn't look at you. 

''Micha grabbed me and Arthur stood in to defend me'' you huffed rubbing your throat where the knife had been sitting. 

"What was Micha getting at then? Because Arthur was gettin' pretty wound up" John questioned his voice loud and irritated as he regained his breath from trying to restrain Arthur. Your breath got hitched in your mouth as you panick. The palm of your hands become sweaty and you didn't know how to answer. You had no intention of telling the gang any time soon about your relationship with Arthur. 

''I should go check on him'' you looked in the direction Arthur had stormed off ignoring John's question. 

"Sure you are alright?" Sadie asked as she saw the panick in your face. 

"Yeah, I'm fine" you nodded before you turned away to follow after Arthur. You followed the fresh tracks in the ground until you found Arthur sitting under a tree with his back leant up against it. His head was hanging low with his hat covering his eyes. 

''Thank you'' you spoke softly as you approached him. He lifted his head up to look at you. ''I always knew he was a piece of shit but I didn't know quite how true that was'' you tried to lighten the mood. Arthur's hands were still in fists but he couldn't help the small smile on his face when he saw you. 

''Yeah, that's one way of putting it'' he growled. ''You alright?'' he stood up and glanced at your neck making sure Micha hadn't left a mark on you. 

''I'm fine'' you smiled as you wrapped your arms around Arthur's waist and buried your head into his chest. He pulled you in closer to him and placed a kiss on the top of your head. You took a deep breath allowing yourself to relax in his arms. 

''I should av' killed the bastard'' he mumbled. ''If he ever touches you again then I will'' he tightened his grip on you. 

''That's if I don't do it first'' you giggled as you pulled away and grabbed his hand to see the bruises that were already forming on his knuckles. "You shouldn't have punched him" you grazed the bruise with your fingertips before looking up into Arthur's eyes. 

"He deserved it" he defended himself. "He's lucky that's all he got" his brow furrowed. You smiled shyly at him knowing he was only this angry because he cared for you. Having someone help to defend you was still something you were going to have to get used to but you were greatful for him. It made you feel safer, knowing that you had Arthur watching out for you. The temper he has that you used to be weary of you knew would never be directed at you but only used to defend you. You stayed with him in the woods for a while until he was fully calmed down. You both sat under a tree whilst he told you about his day with Lenny at a place called Shady Bell and then how he and Micha robbed a bank coach which the O'Driscolls ended up turning up to as well. ''Sounds more interesting then my day'' you smiled up at him. ''I went to find Dallas with John'' you chuckled. 

''Sorry I couldn't help ya" he scratched the back of his neck. "Least you had John to help you find him'' Arthur's voice was relaxed now as you sat close to one another. 

"You help me plenty enough. Plus John isn't bad company. I just feel sorry for you havin' to spend time with Micha" you teased him. Arthur smirked at you before gently moving a strand of hair away from your face, caressing your cheek before leaning down and kissing you softly. He then rested his forehead on yours. ''You are so beautiful'' he whispered softly. Your chest filled with a warm sensation and your heart stopped beating for a split second. Everything you felt towards Arthur seemed to double in intensity everyday, heat ran to your cheeks as you looked at him. His deep blue eyes captivated you in a trance that you never wanted to leave. He smiled sweetly before looking at the ground. ''We better go back before someone comes to check on us'' he mumbled, looking slightly upset at the prospect of going back into camp. You both stood up and shared one last kiss before making your way back into camp. 

''I think I'm going to go get some rest'' you turned to Arthur. You saw the majority of the gang we're still gathered around the fire and you didn't want to face them just yet. The late nights were also catching up to you as you could feel your eyelids getting heavier. 

''Alright, I'll see you in the mornin'.'' Arthur smiled. You didn't want him to leave you, you wanted him to come in and spend the night with you again and you could see in his eyes he wanted that too. It felt like a large lump had formed in your throat, you swallowed hard. Arthur hesitated before tipping his hat to you with a nervous smile. ''G'night (Y/N)'' he turned and walked towards his own cot, leaving a sense of loneliness lingering around you. You walked into your tent and got changed into your nightwear before laying on your cot and covering yourself with the blanket. The events of the night played through your head. The way Micha grabbed you and spoke about you to Arthur in front of the others. Arthur's reaction was bound to make people ask questions and you weren't ready for that. The thought of tomorrow made you feel uneasy, everyone pestering you about your relationship with Arthur, but at least you were on a job with John. He was your closest friend in camp and he always made you feel comfortable so you hoped he wouldn't question you again. Being away from camp should take your mind of things. You felt your eyes get heavy as you drifted off into a deep sleep.


	12. 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reader and Arthur's relationship is now not so secret. Dutch and reader take a trip into town.

You had been tossing and turning all night. Each time you were drifting off back to sleep your memories reminded you of the events of last night. As it started to get lighter outside you decided to go check on Dallas. Sleep wasn't coming easy and you decided to make yourself useful instead of just laying in your tent. The cut around Dallas' limb had started to scab over and there was no sign of infection. You reapplied some of the herbs that Charles had given you and fed the horses. It must have been early as everyone was still fast asleep in camp and the morning birds had only just started chirping in the trees. You made yourself a coffee and stood at the end of the dock looking out over the lake. The sun was rising over the hills which filled the sky with a burnt orange. You took in a deep breath which filled your lungs with the freshness of the air before taking a sip from your coffee. There were a couple of birds floating on the water and you watched as they sat there, still and silent. You were so lost in focusing on the stillness of the morning that you didn't hear the footsteps behind you. 

''Mornin' Miss (Y/L/N)'' you spun round quickly to see Dutch had walked up behind you. He was smoking on a cigar and smiling at you. 

''Mornin' Dutch'' you spoke hesitantly after you caught your breath.

''Sorry dear, I didn't mean to frighten you'' he smirked. Even though it was first thing in the morning, Dutch didn't have a hair out of place and he dressed so smartly. You must have looked scruffy in comparison as you had the same clothes on from yesterday and hadn't combed your hair yet. He came to stand next to you as you both looked over the water. ''You alright after last night?'' he questioned, not taking his eyes away from the view.

''Yeah'' you paused. ''I didn't mean for it to escalate the way it did'' you tried to defend yourself. Dutch sighed as he looked at you. 

''It ain't your fault Miss (Y/L/N)'' his voice was hushed as the camp was starting to stir behind you. ''Arthur has taken quite a shine to you. I realise you two seem to be gettin' on rather well'' he scanned your face waiting for your reaction. You continued to look out over the lake hoping that he would avert his gaze. ''I hope this ain't gonna be a problem''. You look at him slightly taken aback by what he had just said.

''I don't know what you mean?'' you question, looking directly into his gaze now.

''You have settled in well here (Y/N). You have also pulled your weight and done well on jobs'' he paused taking a drag from his cigar and blowing it out over the lake. ''I want to see this for myself. What are you doing today?’’ he questioned ignoring your confusion.

‘’I was going to see about those horses with John this mornin’.’’ You scanned the camp trying to find him.

‘’That can wait’’ he protested. ‘’ Ride with me to Rhodes. I’ll let you get on with your morning chores and then come find me’’ he eyed you up and down before adding ‘’ I’ll inform John of the change of plan, the horses can wait for tomorrow’’. 

''Of course Dutch'' you said shyly. He patted you on the shoulder before walking back into camp and leaving you standing on the dock by yourself. 

You thought about Dutch's words as you sipped on the rest of your coffee. Gaining Dutch's trust was a hard task when you first joined the gang and the last thing you wanted was to jeopardise that. You hoped that your time spent with him would allow you to finally prove your full worth to him. ‘I hope this ain’t gonna be a problem’, what did he mean by that? There was a slight nervous feeling in the pit of your stomach as you thought he might not approve of your relationship with Arthur. Was that what this trip to Rhodes was going to be about? 

You tried to ignore the feeling as you made your way back into camp. Most people had started to stir and were getting on with their chores. Although you knew Dutch would let John know about the change of plan, you wanted to tell John yourself and to clear the air from last night. When you couldn’t find him anywhere around camp you made your way over to the dirty dishes and began cleaning. You had only just gotten settled into your work when Tilly and Karen both decided to settle down next to you. As you glanced up, you saw the huge grins plastered across their faces and automatically rolled your eyes. 

''Awwh come on now, don't be like that'' Karen giggled. You looked into the wash bucked and concentrated on the dish in your hand. Trying to block out the eager girls stares. 

''You can't hide from us in a pile of dirty dishes, ya know'' Tilly smirked at you. You looked up and sighed. She was right, no matter what you did, you couldn't avoid them forever. ''You gonna tell us then?''.

''Tell you what?'' you smirked.

''Don't play dumb. Tell us about what happened last night'' Karen scoffed. She sat next to you with a ripped shirt in hand as she tried to sew the seam back together.

''With Micah?'' you questioned. 

''No you idiot. With Arthur'' Karen tutted. ''He was clearly protective over ya, never seen him so riled up. Micah must have struck a nerve talkin' bout you like that'' she giggled as she spoke. You knew that being cooped up in the camp all day can be boring, so the girls lived for any gossip or drama. You shook your head and sighed looking over to see Arthur was sat on his cot writing something in his journal. He looked so fixated on what he was jotting down, you couldn’t help but wish he was by your side right now to answer the questions that were being thrown at you.

''Would you just leave the poor girl alone'' Sadie interrupted, she was standing over the three of you with her hands on her hips. 

''We were only asking'' Tilly spoke shyly. 

''Yeah, well I'm tellin'. Can't you see she has enough to do without you two at her'' she gestured for the two girls to move which they did with a grunt and a couple wise remarks. Sadie came to sit beside you and grabbed a dish to clean. ''Told you they would find out'' she giggled. You couldn't help but smirk at her comment but you stayed silent. The two of you continued to wash the dishes. Your eyes scanned the camp to try find John but instead landed on Arthur walking towards you. 

''Mornin' Ladies'' he tipped his hat to the both of you. 

''Arthur'' Sadie greeted him as she carried on scrubbing one of the dishes. 

‘’(Y/N), can I have a word?’’ his voice was hushed as if to try and not draw too much attention to us. You glanced at Sadie who gave you an approving nod before you dried your hands on your trousers and stood up to follow Arthur. The giggling coming from the other girls behind you were more then obvious, but you ignored them. You followed Arthur back towards the dock where you had been standing not too long ago. 

‘’You alright?’’ Arthur asked as you reached the dock. He placed a hand softly on your lower arm, almost taking your hand whilst looking straight into your eyes. His touch suddenly warmed your whole body and your cheeks flushed red. You were slightly embarrassed to how easily this man could change your whole mood with a simple touch. His bright blue eyes were unavoidable, you could see the corner of his mouth was upturned as he looked at you which only made your heart race faster. 

‘’I am now’’ you smiled up at him. He smiled sweetly back at you as he intertwined his fingers in yours. Quickly, you glanced back towards the camp to see if anyone was watching. Before you could let go of his hand and pull away, Arthur’s free hand reached your cheek to move your face back to focus on him. 

‘’Cat’s outta the bag (Y/N)’’ he smirked at your panicked reaction. ‘’I guess I’m to blame for that’’ his hand cupped your cheek still as he looked from your eyes to your lips. He was right, everyone in camp knew by now that something was going on. There was no point in hiding it. ‘’I just wanted to make sure that you were alright with it all?’’ he lowered his voice slightly as you dropped your eyes to look down at the floor. 

You wanted to say how much you hated that people were already trying to know all your business, you hated that the attention was focused on the two of you because you were the biggest news in camp. Being on your own for so long you had gotten used to no one paying you any attention and you liked it that way, you never had to explain yourself to anyone. The words couldn’t form in your mouth and as you looked back up to meet Arthur’s eyes all of your worries seemed to fade away. If the whole camp knowing meant that the both of you could stop sneaking around and be together then you didn’t seem to care. All that mattered to you was Arthur. 

‘’I’m alright. Though you owe me’’ you smirked at him. ‘’You don’t have to deal with the girls wanting to know every detail’’. Arthur laughed shyly as he pulled you closer to him. He leaned down and kissed you softly. It didn’t feel like your previous kisses, you were very aware that anyone could be watching but it felt more meaningful somehow. You didn’t have to hide your affection for one another. You felt a warm feeling at the fact that Arthur was happy for the camp to know about his feeling towards you. 

‘’How about I take you outta camp for the night?’’ Arthur smiled leaning his forehead against yours. 

‘’Deal’’ you smiled before placing a soft kiss on his cheek. The two of you slowly made your way back into camp before Mrs Grimshaw came over to tell you both to stop slacking. As you walked into the heart of camp you noticed everyone’s attention was on the both of you and you could feel a hot flush run through your body. 

‘’I better finish my chores’’ you gestured back towards Sadie who was still busy washing dishes. Arthur smiled before leaning down and kissing your cheek in front of the whole camp. The gesture produced a gasp and whispers that could be heard from the girls who were watching the both of you. You bit your lip and your cheeks flushed once more before heading back towards Sadie. You sat down next to her and continued with your work, you couldn’t help the smile that graced your face. 

‘’I hope you know that I can’t save you from the oncomin’ questions now’’ Sadie giggled. It was as if the other girls had heard Sadie’s comment because almost instantly they had all gathered round you. 

‘’When did it happen?’’ 

‘’Is he a good kisser?’’ 

‘’Is he romantic?’’ 

Their questions came thick and fast and you did your best at answering as Sadie sat smirking at you. You must have looked like a rabbit when face to face with a cougar as the questions piled in. Once you washed the last dish you stood up and held your hands up in surrender. 

‘’Alright, alright. Enough questions for one day’’ the girls all sighed with the loss of excitement. ‘’I’ll see y'all later’’ you took no time in waiting for their response as you strode across camp to find Dutch. As you crossed camp you scanned it to see if John had made an appearance. He was still nowhere to be seen so you shrugged it off. Dutch was sat in his tent reading one of his novels when you approached him. 

‘’Ahh (Y/N)’’ he closed the book as he saw you stood in the opening of his tent. ‘’You ready to go?’’. 

‘’Yeah’’ you nodded as he put his book down on his cot and gestured for you to lead the way to the horses. Dallas favouring his leg still so you took one of the spare horses for the day. You both mounted up and you followed closely behind Dutch as he led the way out of camp and onto the main road to town. The both of you rode in silence which only made you more nervous. Dutch had always been kind to you and impressed with your work but you had never had to prove yourself to him before or spent any time with him alone. Luckily Rhodes wasn’t too far from camp and you both hitched your horses outside of the saloon before making your way inside. Dutch ordered you both a beer and you took a seat at a free table in the corner of the room. The saloon was quiet as it was only midday but there was a piano player which filled the empty atmosphere. 

‘’So, I want to see first hand what you can do Miss’’ Dutch broke the silence as you took a sip from your beer. ‘’I’ve heard a lot of great things but never seen it for myself’’ he smirked at you before joining you in a drink. You didn’t exactly know what Dutch was expecting. All the jobs that you have done for the gang had been planned by someone else and you just did as you were told. 

‘’What’s the plan?’’ you asked, slightly confused. 

‘’No plan’’ Dutch raised his eyebrows. ‘’Just do what you do best’’ he leant back in his chair with his arms folded over his chest, expecting to watch a show. You took a deep breath and glanced around the bar trying to find a target. Rhodes wasn’t too far away from the city of Saint Denis which meant many rich folk passed through regularly. You spotted a couple of men sat at the bar, both well dressed and merrily drinking. They looked like they were celebrating something as they toasted to one another’s success. You quickly gulped the rest of your drink before giving Dutch a nod in their direction. Dutch glanced over at the two men and the corner of his mouth tugged upwards in a mischievous smile before he nodded at you. You straightened out your clothing and fixed your hair before making your way over to the bar to stand next to the two men. 

You gestured for the bartender before ordering another beer. Once, you had been served your drink you stood, leaning on the bar in a way that would attract a man’s eye to the curve of your bum. One of the men took the bait straight away and turned his attention to you as you began to drink your beer. 

‘’What is a beautiful woman such as yourself doing in a town like this?’’ he leaned towards you. His breath stank of alcohol and his eyes were slightly glazed over indicating he was a lot more drunk then you had first thought. 

‘’Just passin’ through’’ you smiled sweetly placing a hand on his forearm. ‘’How about yourself?’’. Before you knew it, you were standing in between the two men drinking your beer and creating convocation. They both had closed some sort of business deal that you paid no interest too and were celebrating. You hummed along whilst congratulating them. They were both quite young, handsome men so you acted as though you were falling for their charms. After your second beer that they had bought you, you decided to take your leave and go back to Dutch. Both the men were slightly disappointed that you were leaving however, they let you go without any complaints. 

‘’I think it’s best we leave now’’ you smiled at Dutch who sat watching you with a confused expression. He didn’t question you and followed you out of the saloon and to your horses. 

‘’(Y/N), I think you missed the point of this trip’’ he finally turned to you before you mounted your horse. You grinned at him, before he could say another word you produced 2 watches, $20, a golden ring, a packet of cigarettes and what seemed to be an engagement ring from your pockets. You placed all the items in Dutch’s hand. 

‘’Pretty sure we can sell this stuff at the general store. Plus, I found out that they have a bunch of deeds back at their house which isn’t too far from here. Turns out they will both be out of town on business next week. Might be worth a look’’ you smirked feeling pretty pleased with yourself.

‘’Well I must say, I am impressed’’ Dutch nodded at you, you couldn't help but hear the slight shock in his voice. This only made you more smug about doing a good job. ‘’Let’s go see what we can get for these’’ Dutch chuckled as he stuffed the items into his pockets. The both of you mounted up and began to head to the main street. As you were riding down the street you passed by Hosea and Arthur. They were on their way to the saloon with a wagon full of moonshine. Hosea had dressed Arthur up in a hat and a pipe sticking out of his mouth and you couldn’t help but giggle at the sight. They both tipped their hats to you as you passed one another but no words were exchanged. Arthur rolled his eyes as he saw the amusement on both yours and Dutch's faces. 

"He's never been one for playing dress up" Dutch remarked. "No doubt we will get an earful later" he bellowed whilst laughing. 

Dutch and yourself entered the general store and sold the items for $40 altogether. He decided to buy you a broach of a horse’s head cast in bronze that you had taken a shine too. You thanked him on the way out before pinning the broach to your shirt. The two of you began your journey back to camp ignoring the noises coming from the saloon. Clearly whatever Hosea and Arthur was up to was working in their favour. 

‘’Good work today Miss (Y/L/N)’’ he smiled at you as you rode side by side. ‘’I’m glad we found you’’. This made you light up. You knew Dutch was hard to please and to hear him say these things only made you feel more at home in the gang. Although, you couldn't help but think of your convocation that you had by the dock that morning. You hadn't spoken about your relationship with Arthur this whole trip, which you originally though that's what this was about. 

‘’Thanks Dutch’’ you smiled at him. ‘’Can I ask you a question?’’ he nodded at you to continue. You cleared your throat and gathered up the courage before speaking up. ‘’Earlier, you said that you hope that me and Arthur don’t become a problem, what did you mean?’’ you asked so shyly that you thought he might not have even been able to hear you. You heard him take a deep breath in as you looked at the road in front of you, avoiding his gaze. The silence was deafening, the only sound was your heart racing as Dutch thought about your question. 

‘’I meant no offence’’ he cleared his throat before carrying on. ‘’Things like relationships can be a hard thing with the way we live. They can get in the way and distract us from our responsibilities. As long as you know the gang comes above anything else, it shouldn’t be a problem. Keep up the hard work’’ Dutch scanned your face for your reaction. You looked up to catch his gaze before nodding. "And Miss (Y/L/N), I won't tolerate any more fighting in camp" he warned looking straight into you. 

‘’I understand. It won’t get in the way’’ you promised Dutch. Although you knew he meant well you couldn’t help but feel he thought you might take Arthur away from his work or even the gang. You had no intension of doing so as you knew how much the gang meant to him, and how much it was starting to mean to you as well. It was like a family, one that you have been needing for so long. 

Once you were back in camp Dutch left you to tend to the horses. You brushed the borrowed horse and the Count before feeding them some carrots as a treat. It wasn’t long before the sun began to set on another day and you helped yourself to some of Pearson’s stew. Lenny came to keep you company and sat on the log next to you by the fire. It was nice to talk to someone who wasn't interested enough to ask about your and Arthur's relationship. Lenny was the youngest in the gang but he talked as though he was the oldest. He was incredibly smart and always good company. 

‘’You seen John today?’’ you asked as you scanned the camp still unable to locate John. 

‘’Yeah, he has been on guard most of the day, didn’t want anyone to relieve him of his post’’ Lenny shrugged. You turned your nose up at the thought of John wanting to be on guard all day. He hated that job, he always complained that it was boring. Maybe something had happened between him and Abigail which made him want to be by himself for a while. You were about to go and check on him when you saw Arthur ride back into camp. He dismounted Siego and marched over to speak to Dutch and Micah. You and Lenny both tried to overhear their conversation without any luck. Whatever they were taking about, you could tell Arthur wasn't too pleased about it. You turned your attention back to the remainders of your stew and scraped the bowl clean. 

‘’Ma’am’’ Arthur drew your attention from your bowl. He held his hand out for you to take which you did gladly. He pulled you onto your feet before taking your bowl from you and placing it in the wash tub. ‘’You ready to go?’’ he questioned, his tone was slightly irritated still by his convocation with Dutch. You had completely forgotten about going out of camp with Arthur tonight but you nodded to not irritate him further. You said your goodbyes to Lenny before grabbing a couple of spare clothes from your tent and meeting Arthur by the horses. 

You rode together back into Rhodes. Arthur remained quiet for the ride, you could tell something had angered him but you didn’t want to pry just yet. Instead you decided to let him calm down. Arthur led you up to the Rhodes hotel, you glanced at him slightly shocked. You had expected to go back to the open field that you had slept the other night. You followed sheepishly behind him, trying to remember the last time you had slept in a real bed. Arthur paid for a room and for a bath each before grabbing the key and guiding you to the room. 

The room was spacious, with a double bed in the middle of the back wall and a wardrobe to the side. There was a draw at each bedside with a lantern placed on each one. As it was already dark outside so the room was slightly dim lit but that didn't faze you. You gingerly walked around the room and placed your things to one side. As you passed each draw, you automatically searched through them to see if there were any leftover belongings. 

‘’We ain’t robbin’ the place’’ Arthur smirked as he watched you open and close all the empty draws. 

‘’I know’’ you giggled slightly embarrassed. ‘’I don’t remember the last time I stayed inside that’s all’’ you felt the softness of the bed and took a deep breath in. 

‘’Well we needed to get away from camp. Thought this would be better then a cold night outside" he watched you with a smile. 

"You alright?" you finally asked. "Ya seem irritated". 

"Nahh it's just Micah. Thinks it's a good idea to rob both the Grey's and the Braithwight's" he shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I don't think it's the best idea but Dutch seems to take his side" he placed his things in the same pile as yours before walking over to you and placing both his hands on your waist. You place your arms around his neck and pull him close to you for a full enbrace. 

"Doesn't seem smart but I'm sure Dutch knows what he's doin'." You tried to reassure him. The truth was you thought it was dumb too. It was a small town and people talk, even with a family feud they would still know it was us that robbed from them. You let go of him just enough so that you could see his face. His jaw was tense and his eyes were looking over your shoulder, deep in thought. You place your hand on his cheek to bring his eyes round to focus back on you, just like he had done earlier. His jaw relaxed as his eyes met yours. You kissed him gently, you could feel his whole body relax when your lips met. He wrapped his arms tighter around you, as if not wanting to ever let you go. You broke the kiss and smiled up at him. 

"I'm sorry, let's not talk about the gang tonight" he smirked. ‘’Why don’t ya go get a bath, I’ll get mine after’’. You nodded at him before grabbing some clothes and walking out of your room and down the hall to the bath. 

You submerged yourself in the warm water hesitantly. The water felt lovely against your skin, better then washing yourself in the cold lake. You took your time in scrubbing your body head to toe, using the soap provided. It smelt of lavender and filled the room with it’s relaxing scent. Once you had finished you sat in the bath for a couple moments, embracing the last of the warm water before climbing out and drying yourself. You pulled on the clean clothes you had packed before tip toeing your way back to the room. When you walked back in you were surprised to find Arthur was not there. He must have gone to the second bathroom that you had noticed. You perched on the edge of the bed, feeling it dip from your weight. It was so soft and you couldn't wait to have a comfy night sleep. You sat there for a while before deciding to get ready for bed, it was getting late and you were begining to tire. As you rummaged through your things you realised you had forgotten your nightwear. You rolled your eyes and breathed out an irritated sigh at your forgetfulness. Instead you decided to slip on Arthur's shirt that he had given you weeks ago on your hunting trip and remove your trousers. Once, to were comfortable you climbed onto the bed laying down with your head placed on the plump pillow. 

There was a knock at the door before Arthur crept back inside the room. He closed the door behind himself before finally letting his eyes find you. His mouth dropped slightly before he took a large gulp finding you in this slight state of undress. The shirt you had borrowed fell down to the middle of your thighs but both your legs were on show to him. You sat up slightly leaning on both elbows and you let yourself look over him. He was standing at the door with just his jeans on, his suspenders left to hang by his legs. You couldn’t help but gaze over him, his upper body was toned with hair gracing his chest leading a path down his stomach into his jeans. The both of you were silent as you allowed yourself to explore with your eyes. Your heart was racing in your chest and a new warm feeling began aching between your legs. You had both seen each other like this when you spent the night away from camp hunting but at that point you avoided looking over each other. This time you both welcomed each other to look. You could feel your heart begining to race as you felt his eyes wonder down your body. 

‘’I wondered where my shirt had gotten too’’ Arthur said in a low tone as he slowly made his way over to you. His voice seemed to vibrate through you, making the ache between your legs worsen. This feeling was foreign to you and you began to think something was wrong with you. 

‘’I may have forgotten to give it back’’ you admitted shyly, watching every step he made towards you. His shoulders were broad leading to his muscled arms that you longed to warp around you. You couldn't hide the slight shaking in your breath as he got closer. Arthur slowly sat down on the bed beside you and licked his lips. Your chest felt like it was going to burst open as he rested a hand on the bare skin of your leg, just below your knee. The sensation of just his touch sent shivers throught your body. The heat between your legs was intensifying with every passing moment and a knot in the bottom of your stomach started to grow. You slowly looked over his body and back up to meet his striking blue eyes. He didn't shy his gaze away once you met his. There was a look on his face you had never seen before. It was hungry but weary at the same time. You suddenly had a growing awareness of your need for him. You needed him to kiss you. You needed him to touch you and you needed him to relieve this burning feeling between your legs.


	13. 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **SMUT***  
> Arthur and Reader finally sleep together!

You tried to ignore the feelings stirring in your groin, your heart was racing at full speed. Each breath you took seemed to come out shaking. Arthur still rested his hand on your leg as he looked over your small frame wearing just his shirt. In the past you had been shot at, hit and worse but that didn't compare to the nervousness you felt right now. The room felt incredibly hot but you couldn't decide if that was just because of the tension in the air or the actual temperature. 

''It looks good on ya'' Arthur finally broke the silence. Your cheeks were flushed at his comment and you pulled your gaze away shyly. Arthur leant over you and placed a finger under your chin guiding your gaze back to him. His face was only inches away from yours. You could feel his warm breath on your skin as he looked deeply into your eyes. ''You're so beautiful'' he spoke in a low raspy tone. His words flooded through you as your breath got caught in your throat. 

That was the first time Arthur had ever properly complimented you. He was never good at expressing himself so you never thought too much into it. The moment he said it, you fell even deeper for him. You never thought of yourself as a pretty girl because you usually wore trousers and you weren't afraid to get your hands dirty but the way he looked at you made you melt. All that mattered to you was that he thought you were. You couldn't find the words so you blushed and gave him a shy smile. He tilted your chin up again before leaning in and kissing you. 

The kiss was deep and passionate. You both had a need for each other that you couldn't shake off. The heat between your legs was growing as your sex began to throb uncontrolably. You placed your hands on his chest, allowing yourself to feel his muscles and hair that grew there. He tensed at your touch but soon relaxed as he leant further over you. The smell of lavender soap filled the air and you could taste the tabacoo in his kiss. You moved your hands slowly down his torso, exploring every inch of his upper body. It was although your hand was getting attracted to exploring further down and you couldn't stop it. When you reached the band of his trousers, Arthur let out a low maon between kisses. 

Arthur's hand started to slowly glide up your leg from where his hand was resting. His touch was so light that it sent a shiver running through your entire body. You hadn't had a man touch you in this way since you were held captive, but they were rough and violent. Arthur was being gentle, moving slowly to try and not push you too far but allowing himself to touch you. The only time you had actually allowed a man to touch you like this was clumsy and awkward but Arthur seemed to know exactly what he was doing. His hand was now sliding up your thigh and reaching the hem of the shirt. Arthur broke the kiss, stopping his hand in his tracks and leaning back so that he could see your face. You were laying below him breathless and craving more. 

''You alright (Y/N)? I don't wanna push you into anythin'.'' he whispered as his eyes met yours. 

''Arthur'' you breathed. ''Keep goin'.''. He smiled at you before he began kissing you again. 

His hand began to slide under the fabric of the shirt and further up your thigh. Your body felt like it was on fire. The thoughts in your head screaming for it all to stop were pushed to one side, knowing Arthur would never do anything to hurt you. You trusted him, more than anyone in the world. You moved your hands across his torso, wrapping your arms around him to pull him closer. He broke away from your lips to place small wet kisses down your neck to your collarbone. You tilted your head to the side to allow him easier access to your burning skin. He sat up to place his body between your legs, which at first you hesitated to open. After a split second of fighting with your fear, you allowed your legs to open wide making room for him. His body now kneeling between your legs, both of his hands slowly making their way up your thighs. You were becoming unbearably hot so you began to unbutton the shirt you were wearing, watching Arthur's eyes dilate as he watched you. Once the last button was open you threw the shirt off you, you were now laying completely naked. Arthur's jaw dropped slightly again as his eyes scanned over your body. You watched as they shifted from your neck, to your exposed breasts and then further down to between your legs. 

You suddenly felt extremely self-conscious, even in the dim lighting, you were fully on show. As his eyes wandered over you, you began to fold your arms over your body, hiding yourself from him. He grasped your wrists with both hands gently and pulled them away from you. 

''(Y/N), you are so beautiful'' he gasped, focusing back on your eyes. ''Please don't hide from me''. You began to relaxed at his words as he came to rest on one elbow by your head, hovering over your body. He pressed his lips against yours again. His tounge dancing with yours as his free hand moved to explore you. He moved it lightly down from your cheek, collarbone, to your breast. The sensation of being touched sent waves of pleasure through your body. He kneaded your breast, brushing his thumb over your hardened nipple. You felt his hips grind against yours, feeling his erection trapped in his trousers. Another moan escaped you as his hand moved further down over your stomach to your hip. His touch left a tingling trail down your body that made you roll your hips up to meet his. Arthur broke the kiss to look you in the eye one last time before moving his hand any further. You nod at him before his lips connect to yours again. 

His fingers ghosted over your core. The slight touch made your whole body shake, you could feel how wet and desperate you had become for him. You move your hands down his torso to his trousers, unbuttoning them. His finger slowly glides between your folds, feeling your wetness for the first time. You let out an involuntary moan into his mouth, his mouth smiled slightly at the way he is making you feel. His finger then finds the bundle of nerves before gently rubbing small circles into it. You break this kiss this time unable to concentrate past the feeling he is producing in between your legs. Your hand that was unbuttoning his trousers unable to carry on because of the overwhelming feeling he is producing. He begins to kiss your neck again before slowly pushing a finger into you. You let out a small gasp, you had never felt such pleasure from being touched. The thoughts of fear were being pushed out by your body's needs for more. 

Arthur started to move his finger in and out of you, curling it as he went along. He used his thumb to rub into your clit whilst he worked you. Your toes curled and you could feel your pleasure rising. He placed another finger into you which made you moan into his neck. You had never experienced a man trying to pleasure just you before. In your past experience it had been completely selfish on the man's part. This new sensation was overwhelming and you could feel yourself begin to come undone. Quickly, you push Arthur slightly off you. His fingers leave you and you feel a sudden emptiness. Arthur looks at you concerned but before he can say anything you push his undone trousers down his legs. His manhood pushes out from the confinement of his trousers, caused by his arousal. 

You take a deep breath at the sight of him for the first time. Arthur fully removed his trousers allowing you to take in his full naked form. His manhood was big and hard as he knelt between your legs. You swallow the lump in your throat at the sight of him as he crawled back on top of you kissing up your body before kissing your lips softly. You place your hand between your two bodies, wanting to touch him. Your hand wrapped around his shaft, feeling the velverty skin in your grasp. His body shudders at being touched and a heavy breath leaves his mouth. You start to move your hand up and down his length, slowly. Each movement had Arthur grinding his hips down into your hand. You release him and he leans in closer to you. 

''You sure?'' he asked. His face was soft, trying to look for any hesitation from you. 

''I'm sure'' you look reassuringly into his eyes. He hesitated for a moment but you wrap your arms around his neck to bring him closer to you and kiss him hard. 

His tip glides along your folds becoming slick from your wetness. You feel him tense as he rubs himself against you. He hovers over your entrance before slowly pushing himself into you. You gasp as you feel him stretch your walls. Arthur lets out a moan as he pushes further into you, stopping for a moment to allow you to adjust to him. He completely fills you before he begins to slowly thrust in and out of you. Arthur takes his time with you, making sure that you were comfortable before grinding deeper into you. 

"Fuck (Y/N)" Arthur moans as he starts to quicken his pace. His hips begin to roll harder with each thrust. Both your bodys are covered with sweat from the heat of your actions. You kiss down Arthurs neck and shoulder which made him moan in his deep tone. Every thrust was hitting just the right spot to suge pleasure through you. Feeling him inside you was enough to make you forget to breathe. The moan that you both were holding back were now getting louder and filling the room. 

You opened your legs wider to allow him more access which he took, grinding even deeper into you. The new deepness intensified the feeling of him inside you, you rolled your head back and tensed around him. Arthur groaned at you tightening, encouraging him to quicken his pace. You could feel waves of pleasure engulfing you with every move he made. Arthur reached between your bodies to rub small circles into the bundle of nerves with his fingers. The feeling pushed you over the edge and you could feel your orgasm coming. Suddenly a rush of heat and pleasure stampeded through you. Your whole body tensed as the waves hit you over and over, uncontrollable moans left your mouth and you shut your eyes as Arthur continued to thrust into you. 

"Arthur" you moaned his name as you reached your peak. You could feel his abs tense and his moans also became louder as he chased down his own release. He thrusted a couple more times into you before quickly pulling himself out, pumping himself until he caught his seed in his hand. His body trembles at the sensation and you watch as his muscles relax after coming down from his climax. 

He lays down on the bed next to you. The both of you lay there for a moment trying to catch your breath, covered in sweat. You felt extremely relaxed and dizzy as you turned your head to look at him. His face was red, sweat was running down his forehead and his golden brown hair was a mess. 

''Come 'er'' he breathed as he held his arm out. You shuffled your body so you were pressed up against him. His arm wrapped around you pulling you in closer and your head lay on his chest. ''That was......'' he trailed off still trying to catch his breath. You look up to see him smiling widely which makes you giggle. ''You alright? I hope you don't think I was expectin' that....I wasn't...I mean I'm glad, but I weren't expectin'.'' you quickly cut him off by kissing him softly. You found it amusing that this big, tough outlaw could be so easily flustered when it came to you. 

''I'm better than alright Arthur'' you smile. ''Thank you''. 

''I should be thankin' you darlin'.'' he chuckles slightly, pulling you in closer. 

''No'' you giggle. ''I meant thank you for understandin'. Taking it slow with me''. He places a soft kiss on the top of your head. 

''Of course. I never want to do anythin' you ain't comfortable with (Y/N). I will never hurt ya, I promise'' he pauses for a moment. ''Thank you for trustin' me'' he whispers in a low, soft tone. 

You both hold each other for a couple minutes, taking in what had just happened. The room began to feel a lot colder as you both manage to catch your breath. Arthur stands up grabbing a cloth to clean his hand with before pssing you one to clean yourself. Once you are done, you both get under the sheets of the bed and lay back down like how you were before. You listen to Arthur's heart beating steady and feel the rise and fall of his muscled chest. He was stroking small circles into your back softly which was beginning to send you off to sleep. Everything seemed perfect in this moment, you didn't want it to ever end. As you felt your eyelids growing heavy, you heard Arthur whisper something to you. You couldn't quite make out what he said before you were asleep. 

You woke up the next morning feeling incredibly relaxed. Opening your eyes slowly to allow them to adjust to the morning light, you felt Arthurs muscled arms wrapped around you. His body was pressed against your back and his head was resting just behind yours. The both of you were still naked with only the bed sheets covering you. You can't help but smile as you feel Arthur's arms pull you in tighter against his chest. The events of last night playing over and over in your head. 

''G'mornin'.'' you hear his deep sleepy voice stir behind you. 

''Mornin' Arthur'' you turn around to face him. He had bed hair and he hadn't opened his eyes just yet. You softly place your hand on his cheek, scanning his features with your fingertips. He hummed softly at your touch before slowly opening his eyes. His eyes shone in the morning light and you were able to see them much more clearly. The deep blue with a touch of green around his pupil. You couldn't help but admire how beautiful this man was. He smiled shyly at you, making you blush, before kissing you softly. 

''I could get used to this'' he chuckled. ''Waking up to you, I must be the luckiest man alive''. 

''You've got it all wrong Mr Morgan'' you whisper. ''I'm the lucky one'' his words had made your heart flutter. The feelings that you have towards him were growing stronger each day. It was becoming hard to concentrate on anything else except the thoughts you have of him. 

The both of you took your time before getting up and dressed. You wanted more than anything to stay locked up together in this room but you knew you had a duty to the gang. Dutch's stern words were ringing in your ear about how the gang comes first. As you walked out of the hotel and stuffed your things back into your saddle bags, Arthur grabbed your hand pulling you towards him and wrapping his arms around your waist. 

''Wanna get somthin' to eat before headin' back'' he held you close to him. You could feel that he didn't want this to end just yet, much like yourself. 

''Alright, but we better hurry. I've gotta help John today'' you say giggling at him. 

''Marston can wait'' he took your hand and interlocked your fingers together. You both walked hand in hand, strolling slowly down the street to the saloon. Rhodes was a nice little down dispite the two families who run it. The dirt roads were almost a red colour and the land was definitely dryer then in Valentine. There were plenty of shops here but you couldn't help miss the small farming town of Valentine. You both entered the saloon which looked a mess from the night before. There had clearly been some fight last night and Arthur looked rather sheepish. 

"I'm guessing this had somthin' to do with you and Hosea" you smirked up at him as you glanced around the room. Tables and chairs were upturned and a young man was cleaning up blood stains. 

"Nothin' to do with me. I'm guessing a couple of those raider folk started talkin' shit to some nice men giving out some boose" Arthur chuckled. The both of you ate your breakfast while telling each other stories. Arthur was telling you all about how he would stand for hours everyday practising pulling his pistol from his holster as fast as he could. Living on the run meant you had to be quicker than everyone else to survive. You couldn't help but giggle when he mentioned the one time he was practising and whilst he was spinning his gun it went off, shooting himself in the foot. Hosea bandaged him back up and banned him from using guns until it had healed. 

When it was time to go back to camp, you both fell quiet. You mounted up and spurred your horses into a steady trot. There was a slight feeling of sadness in your gut as you followed the trail back to camp. Every time you spent with Arthur you never wanted it to end. With the life you live you never know when the next opportunity will be to spend time together alone and away from camp. It wasn't long before you arrived back at Clemens Point. Everyone was so busy with their chores that they hardly seemed to take notice of Arthur and your return. 

''I need to speak to Dutch'' Arthur turned to you after hitching up his horse. ''I'll speak to ya later?'' you nodded. He leant down to kiss you on your cheek before striding through camp to Dutch's tent. You took this opportunity to check on Dallas. His cut was healing fast and he was able to walk on his leg without favouring it now. You pat him on his neck and feed him a carrot from your bag. 

''Bout time you showed up'' the raspy voice from behind you made you jump. You spun round to see John. His eyes were fixed on you with a stern expression on his face. 

''Jesus John, you scared me'' you giggle but John didn't return the amused look. 

''Where the hell have you been?'' he continued, his voice was slightly raised at you. ''I've been waitin' for ya all mornin'.'' Your brow furrowed in confusion. You couldn't understand why he was speaking to you like how you would expect Mrs Grimshaw too. 

''What the hell is your problem?'' you throw back at him, trying not to raise your voice. You had heard John when he was annoyed before but it has never been directed at you. Normally it was aimed at Abigail or the other men in camp. 

''We have a job to do (Y/N) and instead you go off glavantin' with Morgan'' he gestures in Arthur's direction. 

''I don't see how that's got anythin' to do with it'' you couldn't believe that John was picking a fight with you. ''It ain't exactly like Javier is ready to go'' you look at the man still sleeping on his bedroll on the other side of camp. John turns to see the man and rolls his eyes. 

''Just be ready in five minutes'' John demands as he turns his back on you. You watch open mouthed as he makes his way over to Javier. John kicks Javiers boot hard, jumping the tired man out of his sleep. Why was John so mad at you? You tried to think hard about what you possibly could have done to deserve his tantrum. It was astonishing how quickly your mood changed from this morning to now. Irritation and confusion was replacing the relaxed and delightful feelings. You brushed and tacked Dallas up after deciding his leg was good enough and he could use the exercise. 

''Morning (Y/N)'' a sleepy Javier walks up beside you and begins to saddle up Boaz. 

''Mornin' Javier'' you greet him with a forced smile. ''Did John and Abigail get in another fight or somethin'?'' you ask in a hushed tone so John doesn't hear. 

''When aren't they fighting'' Javier laughed. ''Dutch and Molly are getting just as bad''. You breathe out a long sigh as John approaches you both. 

''Ready?'' he asked as he mounted Old boy. You and Javier share a look before mounting up and following behind John out of camp. 

''Hey (Y/N), it's our first job together in a while'' Javier pulled up to ride next to you. ''Glad you trust me enough to ride with me again'' he smirked. 

''It weren't your fault what happened ya know'' you chuckle rubbing the side of your head where the butt of the gun had collided with you weeks ago. ''Always happy to ride with you Javier'' you smiled at him. The two of you ride side by side talking about the incident and allowing yourselves to laugh about it now. John didn't say a word the whole ride to the Grey's place. You had never seen him in such a mood, even when Abigail was really pressing his buttons, he would still talk to you. Something must have really gone wrong for him to act so cold towards you. ''So, what's the plan John?'' you ask, trying to encourage him to speak to you. 

''There ain't a plan'' he shouted gruffly back to you. ''We go in, ask about these horses and take it from there'' you don't push him any further. You trotted down the long drive to the Grey plantation. The tobacco fields to either side of you looked like they had dried out. No wonder, with the lack of rain they had and the baking sun beating down on the crop everyday. The guards told you to meet Mr Grey behind the house, by the stables. You followed round the house until you came to the barn and hitched the horses outside. 

''What do you want?'' The old man was sitting on a crate inside the barn. He was wearing a nice suite, with a pocket watch in his hand. His grey hair was wearing thin under his hat and his face held a permanent scowl. The three of you slowly approached him. 

''We are here about some horses'' John informed him. ''Your son, the sheriff said you may require some help''. 

''Ahh, so you are part of the group running around town acting like you own the damn place'' he spat back. He looked you all up and down individually with judgment in his eyes. 

''Look mister. We're good people. Like you'' John tried to defuse the man. 

''You don't know me'' he pointed his finger at John. ''You turn up in town, you're helping everybody'' John's jaw becomes tense so you decide to step in. 

''That's right sir'' you jump in attracting the man's attention. ''We just want to help. This is such a nice town you run here, we want to keep it that way'' you smile sweetly at him. 

''A woman'' he scoffed. Your eyes narrowed at him and your body tensed as you took a step towards him. John put his arm out in front of you to stop your movements. He looked at you shaking his head slightly, silently telling you to relax. It infuriated you that some men still believed women to be useless but you took a step back, kicking yourself for backing down but knowing it was the right thing to do. 

''And have you met my partner Arthur Morgan?'' John gestured to the broad man who you had failed to notice walking into the barn. Arthur walks over, casually holding his gun belt before tipping his hat to you all. You catch his eye as he winks at you making you blush. He somehow manages to have a calming influence over you just by being there. You stand silently behind the three men as they converse with Mr Grey about the Braithwaites. John's irritation flares up again when the old man calls him a 'Yanky'. He defends himself without losing his head and turns the conversation back to the horses. You notice his knuckles were white from clenching his fists. His jaw was tight and eyes narrowed. This wasn't like John at all. 

The old man explains where to find the horses claiming they are worth five thousand dollars. He wanted you to steal them from the Braithwaites and sell them to some twin brothers at a place called Clemens Cove. John shakes the man's hand before walking out the barn, you follow closely behind glaring at the man as you pass him by. The four of you mounted up and spurred your horses into a canter out of the Grey's plantation. Arthur rode alongside you as you all discussed the plan to get the horses out of the Braithwaite's place. John talked your way past the Braithwaite guard and you headed into the grounds towards the stables. Once you reached the stables you dismounted and were greeted rudly by the stablehand. Arthur took the lead in trying to talk to him. He proceeded to tell him we were investers and we needed studs. 

''Listen, why don't you get out of here? You, scar face, your greaser buddy and the woman'' he confronted Arthur. Arthur stood over the man, he always knew how to intimidate anyone who stood in his way. The man backed down, quickly learning he didn't stand a chance against the towering man before him. He lead you all inside and pointing out their best stallions. Once he had, Arthur snuck up behind him and broke his neck quickly and quietly. 

''Shouldn't have been so damn rude'' you looked down at the man's limp body. The three men grabbed a horse each as you kept a look out for any guards coming your way. They tethered the three stallions to the back of Javier's horse and you almost got away unnoticed until you heard a shout from another barn. A man had spotted you and alerted the other guards. 

''Quick, come on'' you shouted as you mounted your horses. All four of you raced across the fields with the three stallions galloping behind you. Some of the Braithwaite men started chasing you, shooting at you. Bullets were flying as Javier took the lead, concentrating on getting the horses out. John, Arthur and yourself began shooting back to the oncoming fire. They followed you out of the manor and down the road, luckily none of them had a good shot. You picked them off one by one as they came after you. You diverted off the road to try and lose them and it wasn't long before no more of them were in sight. As you pulled the horses up to a trot you gave Dallas a pat on his now sweat covered neck. The heat made galloping a lot harder work. You caught your breath as you carried on riding towards Clemens Cove where the two brothers were waiting for you. 

You and Javier stayed seated in your saddles as Arthur and John negotiated with the men. They were twins, one of them a loud mouth and the other didn't talk at all. The one that talks offered $650 for all three which angered John who demanded that he could get $5,000. In the end you got $700 for the stallions as that is all the brothers had to offer. John had no other choice but to take the deal as there were no stables you could sell them too for miles, especially without papers. 

''You god damn fool Marston'' Arthur whispered angrily to John. You could feel a growing tension between the two men as you waited for them to mount up. ''$5,000 for horses. You were seriously dumb enough to fall for that'' Arthur scowled as he mounted Siego. 

''You heard Mr Grey yourself'' John spat back. ''Weren't my fault but you always find a reason to blame me''. Javier and yourself rode behind John and Arthur as they shouted at one another. The two of you would share an awkward look as they shot isults back and forth. Just as you all pulled back into camp they both fell silent. The two men dismounted and stormed off in separate directions without another word. You untacked Dallas and began to brush off the dried sweat that covered his body. Javier offered to help with the rest of the horses but you politely declined. You wanted a bit of time to yourself watching as the rest of camp finished up for the day. It was mid afternoon by the time you had finished tending to the horses. 

An hour or so went by before you had finished all your jobs. You were sat cleaning your saddle when Arthur approached you with Sean following closely behind him. Sean had a wide grin on his face, looking like he was up to no good. 

"We're headin' out again" Arthur's voice echoed across camp. "Sean, go get tacked up. I'll be with you in a minute". 

"Alright boss" the Irishman tipped his hat to you and went to his horse. Arthur turned his attention to you. 

"I'm sorry. Bout earlier, with Marston" he crouched in front of you. Placing a hand on your free knee that didn't have a saddle perched on it. You look up to meet his soft expression. 

"Don't worry bout it, he weren't the best company before all that anyway" you smile. "Why do you have a problem with him? You do always seem to pick on him" you asked shyly. 

"That's a story for another time" he chuckled lightly. "Anyway I best get goin'. Off back to the Braithwaites place" he stood up, leaning over to place a kiss on your forehead. 

"Your goin' back there? So soon?" you question him raising your eyebrows in shock. It was a stupid idea, we had just shot so many of their men and he was going to walk back inside like nothing happened. 

"Apparently Hosea has a job for us there. We'll be fine" he assured you with a soft smile before he joined Sean in mounting up. Arthur tipped his hat to you as he trotted out of camp. 

You sat there for a while completely confused to what made them think it was a good idea to get involved with both families. Taking a deep breath you continue to clean your saddle but it couldn't take your mind off Arthur. You scrub harder to try and focus but your thoughts still wonders back to him. You can't help but worry about the job, it could easily go wrong. What if he gets recognised? Will they hurt him? Or worse. Everything that had happened over the last couple of days made you realise that maybe you weren't just sweet on him. Where you falling for him? You must be, you had never thought a person could be capable of feeling the way he makes you feel. The thought of being in love terrified you. What if you lost him, which was completely possible on a day to day basis. You have lost your entire family and it hurt you more then words can explain but loosing Arthur would feel like something else entirely. You weren't prepared to go through that. 

You scan the camp looking for something or someone else to focus your attention on. John was sat on a rock, on the lakeside, staring out over the water. You had to talk to him. Not only to get your mind off Arthur and this job but to find out what was making him so angry. He was your best friend in camp and you hated it when he wouldn't even talk to you. You decided quickly that you were going over to him. Placing your saddle to the side, you stood up and marched straight over to him. 

"John" you called as you approached to not startle him. "You gonna talk to me now or what?".

**Author's Note:**

> I really hope you enjoyed the first chapter of this series! It's going to follow the events of the red dead redemption 2 game so it's gonna be a long one!


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